During and after the reconquista, the Castillian and Argonese monarchy banned Judaism and forced them all to convert to Catholicism or face deportation. This was one of the reasons for the founding of the Inquisition, to ensure the 'Converso's' were being truthful with their conversions.
The founder and superior of the Jesuit order was a converso, and had secretly remained faithful to Judaism. The Jesuits eventually started banning converso's after pressure from the Castillian monarchy, but a large chunk of its missionaries were of jewish origin.
I've never read anything about Ignatius being a converso, or from a converso family.
He's always been well known as a Basque. As were many early Jesuits (the most notorious being St. Francis Xavier).
Both on his maternal and paternal sides he came from low Basque nobility. His father's family even had a Etxe (an ancient basque manor, where the core of a clan was based).
During and after the reconquista, the Castillian and Argonese monarchy banned Judaism and forced them all to convert to Catholicism or face deportation. This was one of the reasons for the founding of the Inquisition, to ensure the 'Converso's' were being truthful with their conversions. The founder and superior of the Jesuit order was a converso, and had secretly remained faithful to Judaism. The Jesuits eventually started banning converso's after pressure from the Castillian monarchy, but a large chunk of its missionaries were of jewish origin.
I've never read anything about Ignatius being a converso, or from a converso family.
He's always been well known as a Basque. As were many early Jesuits (the most notorious being St. Francis Xavier).
Both on his maternal and paternal sides he came from low Basque nobility. His father's family even had a Etxe (an ancient basque manor, where the core of a clan was based).