Stella Maris - The Star 🌟 Of The Sea - Part 2 - The Crmelite Monastery & Chapel

Along my trip to Stella Maris in Haifa, I've seen a lot of interesting stuff to photoshoot.

One of the interest point which draw my attention was the chapel located on the edge of the mountain and the second was the Carmelite Monastery located on a top point on Mount Carmel , not far from the chapel.

The Stella Maris monastery in the Stella Maris neighborhood of Haifa is a Carmelite men's monastery and serves as the world's center for the order.

The Stella Maris monastery

The Carmelite Order was founded on Mount Carmel after the Third Crusade in 1192, by monks who lived in caves in Nahal Shaykh, inspired by Elijah the Prophet.

After the Crusader conquest of Acre by the Mamluks in 1291, the monks were expelled from the Carmel.

In 1631 the Carmelites began an effort to settle in the place where their order was established.

With the mediation of the French consul, they signed a purchase agreement with the Carmel ruler, Emir Turbai, in order to return the order to Carmel.

In 1769 the Carmelites succeded of convincing the Ottoman sultan Mustafa III to affirm French patronage of the area and the people of the monastery.

Since then the ridge and its environs have been called the French Carmel .

Down the path from the monastery is the Holy Heart Chapel , which was first built as a windmill by donations from a pilgrim from Alsace.

Holy Heart Chapel

The windmill, which has never been activated (and some claim that it has not been completed at all), serves as the isolated retreat for the monks.

Enjoy!

Canon PowerShot SX60 HS