The roots of the Carmelite Order lie in far away Palestine, in Galilee, the land where Jesus Christ was born. At Mount Carmel, far from all worldly temptations, a group of friars chose to follow the example set by the prophet Elijah and live like hermits: they began to live in silence, praying and contemplating God in solitude, meditation, penance, poverty and chastity.
During the Third Crusade (1189-1191) some penitents and Christian pilgrims left Europe for the Holy Land and joined the hermits to follow their example, and together built a small church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Carmel.
Around 1210 the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Saint Albert Avogadro (1150-1214), who lived in St John of Acre near Mount Carmel, compiled the first Rule of Life for this community.
After 1235 many friars had to leave the place of origin because of the raids and persecutions of the Saracens, who were regaining the Holy Land from the Crusaders. At first they arrived in England and, on account of the many privileges granted, later settled widely throughout the rest of Europe.
Eager to receive official recognition by the Church, in 1247 Pope Innocent IV approved the final draft of the Rule and in 1252 the Carmelite community gained recognition as a true religious order: the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel was established. From hermit friars praying in solitude they became mendicants, living an active life in rural and urban communities, settling on the outskirts of towns, among the common people, to draw them closer to the understanding of Christianity.
In 1253 the Pope granted the Carmelites the permission to give sermons and listen to the confessions of the faithful; in order to do so the friars began to build many churches and convents, as in Siena where, in 1261, the friars established themselves in the Church of San Niccolò, which was consequently expanded and restored.
The first convent for Carmelite nuns was founded in Lucca in 1284.