The collection is a study in three volumes of approximately 2,000 pages and is the result of an international congress on the Jesuits that took place in Madrid in June 2011. It was published by the Universidad Pontificia de Comillas, together with the Community of Madrid, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the Ministry of Science and Innovation.

More than 100 historians took part in the congress, all of whom took great interest in the subject matter. They dealt with historical questions surrounding the Society of Jesus, including its role in the European courts, its involvement in society, theological questions and its missionary work outside of Europe.

The chapter submitted by Professor Xavier Baró was the result of the paper on the Jesuit priest Luis de Medina that he presented at the congress. Medina began missionary work in the Mariana Islands in the Northwest Pacific Ocean in the 17th century and died a martyr. "The chapter also discusses how contact, which was peaceful at first, was initiated between the Spanish missionaries and the indigenous population, called chamorros”, said Baró.

These studies, which are only made possible by the great wealth of documentation held in the Society's archives, not only help us construct our national history, but also teach us more about the evolution of Europe and much of the world during the time period covered by the collection.