St Ignatius Loyola (detail)

In celebration of St. Ignatius Loyola’s beafification in 1610, Montañ�s carved a statue of the saint, founder of the Society of Jesus. It was painted by Pacheco. As can be verified by the plaster death-mask, which is still preserved, the head is a very lifelike portrait. True to his own gentle temperament, however, Montañ�s softened the energetic visage of the former soldier, who had conceived of his order as a militia, and gave him an expression of pity. The statue decorates the chapel of Seville University, for which Montañ�s at a later date also carved a St. Francis Borgia as a counterpart.