Carmel in the Holy Land

History

We are in the times of the crusades. Times of great spiritual turmoil. Christian armies conquering the Holy Land — for a little while…

Some of these men came from Europe with other projects in mind. No doubt they left their country with the ardent desire to reconquer the land of Christ. They believed that " the time was at hand " and it was necessary for them to undergo conversion. Had the land, steeped in saintly history, exercised on them the seduction it has to this very day on so many pilgrims from every confession? Had the inane superficiality of a Guy de Lusignan, the felony of a Renaud de Châtillon made them lose confidence in human conquests, even though they claimed to be Christian? Had the example of the hermits from East captured their hearts thirsting for the absolute? Doubtless, some of all this…

Let us look at Carmel's oldest texts.

A handful of men came from Europe towards the end of the 12th, the beginning of the 13th century, the exact date is not known and moreover has little importance. Were they pilgrims? crusaders? This is of even less importance. They established themselves on Mount Carmel in the wake of Elijah and under his spiritual inspiration, to make there "honey of a wholly spiritual sweetness".

On the slopes of this very mountain, in a most beautiful and graceful spot, lived the Latin hermits called the brothers of Carmel. They had constructed there a beautiful church to Our Lady.

(The paths and pilgrimages of the Holy Land)

They never thought that they were starting to establish a new religious Order. For the moment they were but "hermit friars". A little later, they would add the words "of Saint Mary of Mount Carmel" : this is the first official title by which we know them through the Brief of Gregory IX, dated 5th April 1227. This title takes us immediately to the heart of what is essential.

Elijah, the visionary of Mount Carmel, the inspirer.	Mary, the Mother, sister, protector, the " Lady "

The Heart of Carmel's Heart

For the Order of Carmel is unique as is well known.

You will tell me that each religious Order is so, and that is true. But Carmel is unique… in a truly unique manner!

It is the only one without a founder

It is the only one born in the Holy Land, in the manner of the seed spoken about in the Gospel, seed sown in the earth by the Lord himself.

It is the first that grows out from both the Old and the New Testament...

I brought you into the land of 'carmel', to eat its goodly fruits. (Jeremiah 2:7)

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From the middle of the 13th century, the "friars of the Virgin" began to spread to Europe:

On 24th March 1253, (the only date we know with exactitude), a certain Pierre de Corbie and his companion, whose name history does not remember, obtained from the authorities of Valenciennes, in the Duchy of Hainaut (in the north of present-day France) authorisation to found there. Then there was Aygalades (near Marseille) in 1238, Sicily 1242, Oxford 1253, Charenton, near Paris, 1254…

This turned out to be a good thing: the short-lived Frankish kingdom and Christian domination in Palestine came to a definite end and the remaining hermits were massacred by the Saracens in 1291.

Centuries passed… But Mount Carmel remained present in the hearts of Carmelites. It is sufficient to glance at the works of our "parents", the great reformers of Carmel, Teresa of Jesus and John of the Cross.

After various unsuccessful attempts, Fr Prospero, a Discalced Carmelite, finally managed to bring back the friars to Mount Carmel in 1631.

* * * * *

At the present time, the Carmelite friars have other foundations in the country: in Haifa itself, besides the Stella Maris monastery, the friars have charge of the Latin Parish. As well, they have a small monastery on Mount Carmel at the place where tradition sites the famous sacrifice of the prophet Elijah (see Muhraqa). Finally, they are at Notre Dame Center in Jerusalem, where they assist mainly English-speaking pilgrims.

Meanwhile, however, the Order grew and rapidly multiplied throughout Europe and beyond, particularly after the Teresian reform. It was therefore normal that the "sisters of the Virgin" dreamed of establishing themselves in the land of their origin. This was done in 1873, with the first foundation at Jerusalem. The others followed:
Bethlehem in 1875, Mount Carmel-Haifa in 1892, Nazareth in 1910.

  : Pilgrimage to the sources of Carmel

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