Ignatii de Loyola. EXERCITIA SPIRITUALIA IGNATII DE LOYOLA CUM FACULTATE SUPERIORUM. Rome: In Collegio Societatis Jesu, 1596. Limp period parchment, faded ink manuscript title and design on spine. 16mo; A-Q8 R4; 254, [10index]pp. Roman type with italic; text in Latin. With Society of Jesus woodcut device on title page, woodcut initials and ornaments. Edit16 34345; USTC 836137.

4 3/8 x 3 1/8 in.

From the Collection of Professor Roberto Severino, Washington, D.C.

St. Ignatius of Loyola (Spanish, 1491-1556) began writing Exercitia Spiritualia (Spiritual Exercises) while devoting himself to a spiritual life in the city of Manresa, Spain and completed it during his time as a student in Paris in the early 1530s. His book, first published in 1548 as a Latin translation from the original Spanish, was meant as a guide to help followers commit themselves more fully to God. St. Ignatius is also known as the founder of the Society of Jesus.

Expected wear to parchment with cracking, marks, small losses, and moderate warping, lacking ties; front and rear hinges with slight cracking and minor wormholes; creasing, tears, and chips to paste-down endpapers, front paste-down endpaper with bookplate, rear paste-down endpaper with separation from parchment revealing loose binding at tail, nevertheless still sturdy overall; title page with stamp and marginalia at upper margin; pages with toning, foxing, and occasional stain, small fold, tear or chip; two leaves of index trimmed short not impacting text. A scarce and important title.