On 28 June the Jesuit community of Loyola celebrated the reopening of the Chapel of the Conversion with a community Mass, after having remained closed for nearly six months due to renovation work. The choice of the date was not fortuitous, as it was on this day, 500 years ago, that Iñigo began to feel his health improving. On the day of St. Peter and St. Paul, the Birthplace (or Santa Casa of Loyola) was opened to the public, both for worship and for pastoral and tourist visits.

The restoration work was mainly due to the deterioration of the house over the last thirty years, since it was consolidated and restored on the occasion of the fifth centenary of Iñigo's birth. Some final details remain to be completed, but the house is now open to visitors.

The Chapel of the Conversion, the heart of the whole architectural complex of Loyola, is the most impressive place for visitors. Careful attention has been paid to the intervention in this space, trying to favour an atmosphere of closeness and interiority, which helps the visitor to reflect on his own life and the beginning of a new path, like Ignatius. The most striking change is the disappearance of the gate. At the same time, the liturgical furnishings have been renewed, the lighting and sound systems have been modified, the walls have been painted...

In the words of the Jesuit Alberto Pérez Pastor: "The Loyola community looks forward to welcoming you with the family joy of the brothers, all those who come to visit this 'heart of the Society of Jesus'. The spirit of "welcome" was one of the central ideas of Ignacio Echarte's sj homily to the community when he presided over the inaugural Eucharist as superior. This is our desire: to strive to ensure that, when you come to us, you feel the warmth of welcome. We are waiting for you!