Stella_Maris

Stella Maris Carmelite Monastery

During the Crusader period, Christians began settling in the caves of Mount Carmel in imitation of Elijah the Prophet. They organized themselves into the Carmelite Order. At the time of the Mamluk conquest of 1291, the Carmelites were exiled from the Holy Land, but the order had already spread to Europe and continued to exist there. The Carmelites returned to Israel in the 18th century and built the monastery in 1836.

The walls of the Stella Maris Church are decorated with colorful depiction of scenes from the life of Elijah the Prophet and other biblical scenes. They were painted by Brother Luigi Poggi (1924-28).