Carmel in History

The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel began as an association of hermits who came together “by the spring of Elijah” on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the period of the Crusades. By the early part of the thirteenth century this group had become sufficiently established to ask the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Albert of Avogrado, for a Rule that would govern their life in common. This Rule, the Rule of Saint Albert, forms the basis for the way of life that all Carmelites share today. Its chief characteristic consists in an orientation towards a life of prayer and contemplation in solitude, faithful to the eremitic vocation from which it sprang.

With the fall of the Crusader Kingdoms the first Carmelites were forced to leave the Holy Land to settle anew in Europe. As a consequence of this migration their way of life necessarily underwent some modification. Classed as “friars”, they began to live in more structured communities and undertake sacramental and preaching ministries. Nevertheless, the eremitic spirit continued to play a vital role, supported by a strong commitment to poverty and frugality of life.

Originally a purely masculine Order, the Carmelites first attracted female adherents among the Béguines: groups of pious laywomen who, particularly in the Low Countries, often came together to form communities dedicated to good works and prayer. Some of these would later seek a closer affiliation to Carmel by adopting its Rule and setting up convents where enclosure was observed and religious vows were taken. One such community was the Convent of the Incarnation at Avila in Spain where, in 1536 Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada became a nun.

Saint Teresa of Avila (as she would afterwards come to be known) was instrumental in promoting the reform of Carmelite life by returning it to its eremitic origins, emphasising its commitment to poverty and simplicity of life and, above all, its focus on contemplation and prayer. The foundress of over fifteen monasteries for nuns dedicated to these aims, her work continued to spread after her death and Teresian (or ‘Discalced’) Carmelite monasteries are now to be found all over the world.

A great mystic, Saint Teresa stands out in the Church above all as a spiritual guide and teacher. In this she is accompanied by her contemporary among the Carmelite friars, Saint John of the Cross. Together, through their charisma and writings, these two saints articulated the spirituality with which the Carmelite Order continues to be associated today.

In the course of its history Carmel has given rise to a number of important saints: men and women who, by allowing themselves to be formed by its distinctive balance of prayer and community life, have been able to add something new, in their turn, to its heritage of spiritual teaching. In modern times, Saint Thérèse of Lisieux has taken her place alongside Saints Teresa and John of the Cross as a Doctor of the Church, while Saint Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein) has been made a co-patron of Europe. The spiritual writings of Brother Lawrence and Elizabeth of the Trinity are also familiar to many.