Superior Generals of the Jesuit Order

Ignatius of Loyola

Apr 19, 1541

Saint Ignatius founds the Society of Jesus and is named Superior General. He stays in this position for 5,582 days.

Superior Generals

Period: Apr 19, 1542 to Jan 19, 2008

Diego Laynez

Jul 2, 1558

Diego Laynez takes up Superior General after Saint Ignatius and stays in this position for 2,393 days.

Francis Borgia

Jul 2, 1565

Francis Borgia takes up Superior General after Diego Laynez and stays a total of 2,648 days.

Everard Mercurian

Apr 23, 1573

Everard Mercurian takes up Superior General after Francis Borgia and stays a total of 2,656 days.

Claudio Acquaviva

Feb 19, 1581

Claudio Acquaviva takes up Superior General after Everard Mercurian staying a total of 12,399 days.

Mutio Vitelleschi

Nov 15, 1615

Vincenzo Carafa

Jan 7, 1646

Francesco Piccolomini

Dec 21, 1649

Aloysius Gottifredi

Jan 21, 1652

Goschwin Nickel

Mar 17, 1652

Giovanni Paolo Oliva

Jul 31, 1664

Charles de Noyelle

Jul 5, 1682

Thyrsus González de Santalla

Jul 6, 1687

Michelangelo Tamburini

Jan 31, 1706

Franz Retz

Mar 7, 1730

Ignacio Visconti

Jul 4, 1751

Aloysius Centurione

Nov 30, 1755

Lorenzo Ricci

May 21, 1758

Start Period of Suppression

May 22, 1758

End Suppression

Aug 6, 1814

Tadeusz Brzozowski

Aug 7, 1814

Luigi Fortis

Oct 18, 1820

Jan Roothaan

Jul 9, 1829

Peter Jan Beckx

Aug 2, 1853

Anton Anderledy

Mar 4, 1887

Luis Martín

Oct 2, 1892

Franz Xavier Wernz

Sep 8, 1906

Wlodimir Ledochowski

Feb 11, 1915

Jean-Baptiste Janssens

Sep 15, 1946

Pedro Arrupe

May 22, 1965

Peter Hans Kolvenbach

Sep 13, 1983

Adolfo Nicolás

Jan 19, 2008