Carmelite

Scope note: A Roman Catholic religious order that originated in the 12th century from hermits on Mount Carmel who sought the way of life of the prophet Elijah. When the Crusades failed, the Carmelites migrated to Europe where they flourished as mendicant friars. Solitude, abstinence, and prayer are strictly practiced. In 1452 the friars were joined by Carmelite nuns (Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mt. Carmel), the Carmelite Second Order. The Carmelites do not have a founding figure as do many orders, but they consider Elijah and Mary, both central to Carmelite consciousness, as their founders. Important reform figures are St. Teresa of Avila, reformer of the female order in 1562, and St. John of the Cross, who similarly reformed the male order later in the century. The reformed branch became its own order in 1593 and is referred to as the Discalced Carmelites.

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