Carmelite Order

Timeline

1. c. 1155–1200Mount Carmel · PalestineDuring the Crusades, pilgrim hermits gathered on Mount Carmel, forming a monastic community under the patronage of the Virgin Mary; Berthold is traditionally regarded as the first leader.
2. c. 1238–1260Western Europe · ItalyDeteriorating conditions in the Levant forced the friars westward; in 1247 Pope Innocent IV approved a draft rule, and the order established a network of monasteries in England, France, and elsewhere.
3. c. 1261–1270Papal territory of Avignon · FrancePope Clement IV approved a revised rule in 1162, formally incorporating the order into the mendicant system and establishing disciplines such as the barefoot habit and brown habit.
4. c. 1500Global · ItalyAfter the Reformation the order split into Discalced and Calced factions before reuniting in the 16th century; it continued its mystical tradition and established monasteries and mission stations worldwide.