Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Haifa, Gothic monastery on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel

The Monastery of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a neo-Gothic complex on the Carmel ridge, built in 1936 on Tchernichovsky Street. Its church, in the eastern part of the compound, is held by four marble-clad columns with white limestone capitals dividing it into three naves; the floor carries brown, black and white geometric paving. Behind the altar, unusually placed to the west, a wall mosaic shows the prophet Elijah kneeling on Mount Carmel before the Virgin standing on a cloud above the sea.

Two French Carmelite nuns, Marie and Berthe de Causans, volunteered in 1873 to found a house in the Holy Land; the firman was signed on 16 August 1886 and the first stone laid in 1888. The nuns took possession on 1 January 1892 near the sea, on the site of today's Rambam hospital. In the 1920s the port and Bat Galim's growth led to a move; work on the Mount Carmel site began in October 1934, the first stone was blessed on 12 May 1935, and the church was consecrated on 13 December 1936 by Mgr Barlassina.

The monastery serves as a place where Catholic services occur and visitors from different faith backgrounds are welcomed. People come to pray together or experience the spiritual setting that the space provides.

The site sits on a hillside in Haifa and is best reached on foot, with comfortable shoes recommended. Visitors should wear appropriate clothing and be respectful since it remains an active place of prayer.

The wall mosaic behind the altar shows the prophet Elijah kneeling in prayer on Mount Carmel, facing the Virgin standing on a cloud above the sea, with a dove for the Holy Spirit above her and the coats of arms of the Custody of the Holy Land and the Carmelite Order at the sides. The altar stands unusually on the west side of the church.