Add a review about the monastery of Stella Maris

From the most ancient times, Mount Carmel was revered as a holy place, and any belief in this matter was explained in its own way. Monk-Carmelites reached the mountain in the era of the Crusades. The patron of this order was Ilya the prophet, who lived, as you know, in a mountain cave. The monks were sure that it was on Mount Carmel that the cave was located and built a temple nearby.

The monastery was built in the second half of the 18th century. During the Napoleonic wars, the church was seriously damaged, and in the first half of the 19th century the Turks demolished the last of its remains. But after a decade the monastery began to rebuild again and in 1836 opened in the same place. In the 20th century, it was alternately occupied by British and Israeli troops, but in our time the monastery and churches returned their original meaning. Today the Stella Maris cathedral is considered to be the main spiritual center for the Carmelites of the whole world

The main shrine of the temple is that cave right under the altar, to which you can come down from inside.

Basilica, like the typical Catholic church, is cross . The difference from traditional Catholic churches is restraint and even strictness of the external appearance . The lower floor of thick walls and small windows to protect against encroachments more like a military fortress . But in the interior one can admire a lot of scenes such as: window stained-glass windows, dome painting and plafond of Italian work, marble floor with the star image .. The statue of Our Lady of Lebanon cedar is of special religious significance: according to legend, the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus stopped in a cave on the way to Nazareth from Egypt . @ The main shrine of the temple - the same cave right under the altar, to which you can go down from inside .

Near the monastery there is an observation platform, with which Haifa and the Galilee Mountains are amazingly seen.

Name Stella Maris wears not only onastyr as such, but the entire heterogeneous ensemble of buildings and structures, which is here. This is an old lighthouse opposite the monastery, a statue of Our Lady on a high column, a common grave and a monument to soldiers of the Napoleonic army. If you are lucky, you will be able to pass through the local "Via Dolorosa", "the way of the cross", which is set with 14 symbols of the stops of Christ on the way to Calvary. Ilya the Prophet's cave is a little further away and you can walk down to it from the monastery

Practical information

At the monastery is opened a small museum exposition where you can see artifacts from the old Byzantine church standing here before the arrival of the Carmelites and a souvenir shop .

You can get to the monastery by bus number 32 from the Merkaz-Carmel area (that is, you first need to climb a mountain). Another option is to take the bus No. 99-Aleph, which leaves to the monastery from the Bat-Galim station, but this bus runs rarely. Finally, you can go up to the monastery on the city's funicular.

Working hours: the monastery can be reached from the early morning and in the afternoon, midday (approximately from noon to 3 pm) it is closed.