The Carmelite Monastery of Dysart

The Carmelite Order can be traced back to the 12th century, when a number of hermits lived on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, dedicated to Jesus Christ, and taking the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Prophet Elijah as their Patrons and models. They were given a Rule of Life and established as a Religious Order early in the thirteenth century, and during a time of religious persecution travelled to the west, from which they eventually spread to every part of the globe. In the fifteenth century, the women's branch of the Order was founded in France and also spread to other countries and continents. These lived a strictly enclosed life of prayer and penance, offering constant intercessory prayer for the needs of all mankind.

In the sixteenth century, when the Rule had become somewhat relaxed and enclosure was no longer observed, a Spanish Carmelite nun, Sr. Teresa of Jesus, was inspired by God to return to the full observance of their Primitive Rule and founded Monasteries observing this Rule all over Spain. After her death, the reformed Order spread to France and other countries. In 1878, a group of French nuns travelled to London, where they opened a Monastery in the Notting Hill district. From 1907 onwards, a number of Monasteries were founded from this one, including that of Dysart in 1931. (Carmelite nuns were already in England before the Foundation of the Notting Hill monastery, Sisters having come from Antwerp in the eighteenth century to open a few Monasteries.)