The Carmelite Order was founded by a group of hermits residing on Mt Carmel, in Palestine, in the early 13th century. They were men, often Crusaders, who chose to dwell on Mt Carmel "after the example of that holy man and solitary prophet Elijah." Around the year 1210, the hermits asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem, St Albert, to give them a rule of life. Albert responded with a relatively short rule of which the central injunction is considered to be that the hermits were to "dwell in their cells pondering on the Lord's law day and night." Albert also asked the hermits to build an oratory where they would gather for prayer together. This oratory was dedicated to Our Lady and the hermits began to refer to themselves as the Brothers of St Mary of Mt Carmel. Hence, Carmelites have always seen themselves as sons and daughters of Our Lady and reflect that in the wearing of the Brown Scapular.
From about 1238 onward, the hermits began to move into Europe, partly in response to the overtaking of the Holy Land by Muslims. In Europe, the order underwent some changes, moving from an eremetical life to becoming a mendicant order. They, none the less, never forgot their roots in the ways of the hermit (that life still present in their rule).
In the 16th century, St Teresa of Avila (a Spanish Carmelite nun) began a reform movement within the order. Teresa desired to call the Carmelite Order back to its roots and a more contemplative form of life in keeping with the original rule given to them by St Albert. She began to found convents and with the assistance of St John of the Cross was able to spread the reform to the friars as well. Eventually the reform was separated from the Carmelite Order to form a new branch of the order: the Discalced Carmelites. "Discalced" derives from the Latin for "unshod." The Discalced Carmelites are called that to reflect their more austere way of life and the fact that they wore rope sandals instead of leather shoes. As a result, today, there are two branches of Carmelites: the Ancient Observance (O. Carm.) and the Discalced (OCD).
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