Mary is at the heart of the Carmelite Order

Mount Carmel is the place where the prophet Elijah prayed so fervently, 800 years before Jesus. The purpose of his prayer was to turn God's people away from seeking agricultural (1Kings 18) or medical (2 Kings1) benefits through magical practices.

All creatures are called to enter into the light of the covenantal attitude and into a prayer of trust that we receive everything from the living God.

Elijah is depicted with a sword because he killed the prophets who sought to harness occult energies. However, after this slaughter that God did not ask for, Elijah was persecuted, and God taught him gentleness. He spoke to him in a gentle breeze, and showed him his successor, Elisha.

In the Middle Ages, some Christian hermits came to pray in this place and built a small church in honor of the Virgin Mary. The number of religious grew so much that a new rule was written in 1212, which became the rule of the Carmelites. The site became the destination of many pilgrimages from 1245 onwards and the scapular of Our Lady of Carmel originated from it. The convent was destroyed in 1291.

The Carmelite order spread throughout the world and was reformed by Teresa of Avila and St.John of the Cross in the 16th century. These two saints had a special love for the Virgin Mary and for St. Joseph.

Hermits returned to the caves of Mount Carmel in 1634 and the shrine was rebuilt in the 18th century.

The Carmelite monastery was founded in 1892 by a group of nuns from France. Today, the community is made up of about twenty sisters of ten different nationalities from four continents.

The Mary of Nazareth editorial team 

Marian Encyclopedia