Stella Maris Monastery, Haifa – Visitors Guide
Stella Maris is a 19th-century Carmelite Monastery on Mount Carmel in Haifa. And nearby you can find a stunning viewpoint and a lovely trail.
Table of Contents
Map
Stella Maris Monastery is located on the street bearing its name, Stella Maris road 100, Haifa. You can also find the upper station of Haifa’s cable car at this address.
Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit
Interactive map of the area:
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Directions
If you are driving, enter “Stella Maris Monastery” or “Stella Maris road 100, Haifa” into the navigation app, which will take you there.
Depending on the day and time, parking can be hard to find. There are several spaces near the upper cable station, and there are also parking places in front of the monastery. If you do not find parking there, you can continue to nearby streets, like Tchernikhovski street.
If you are using public transport, you can take bus #25 to the junction of Edmond Fleg and Tchernichovsky. For full public transportation directions, check out this Moovit link. Just enter there your starting point, and you will get updated directions.
Another option would be reaching the lower cable car station and taking the cable car up to Stella Maris.
Opening Hours
Daily: 8:30 – 12:00 and 15:00 – 18:00.
Entrance Fee
Free.
Mass Times
Since many people are asking, I looked up, and here are the mass times:
Sunday: 8:00 – Italian, 9:00 – English
Monday – Thursday: 7:00 – Italian
Friday: 7:00 – English
Saturday 7:00 Arabic
Contact Information
Telephone: 04-8337758
Stella Maris Viewpoint
As I mentioned above, Stella Maris viewpoint is also the upper cable car stop. And on a Saturday morning, we woke up early and drove to see the sunrise in Haifa. The pre-picked point was the viewpoint near Stella Maris Monastery.
Here are several photos from Stella Maris viewpoint at sunrise.
According to Google Earth, Stella Maris viewpoint is at an elevation of 125 meters above the sea.
Stella Maris Trail
Behind the viewpoint, you can see a lighthouse. It is called Stella Maris lighthouse, located inside a military base. Meaning you can not visit it.
As you pass the lighthouse, you will see a small chapel. The trail to this chapel continues down to the lower cable car station. You can find a map of the Stella Maris trail here.
If you either continue descending with this trail or take the cable car down, you can reach the Cave of Elijah. And near Elijah’s cave, you can find two marine museums. They are the Israeli National Maritime Museum and Clandestine Immigration And Naval Museum.
Carmelites
Stella Maris Monastery is also called Carmelite Monastery. Carmelites are named after Mount Carmel. And before visiting the monastery, I wanted to bring a short history of the Carmelites.
The Carmelites are a religious group within the Catholic Church. Their name derives from Mt. Carmel, the place of their outset.
Toward the end of the 12th century, during the crusades, a small group of Latin hermits settled on the slopes of Mt. Carmel, wishing to imitate Prophet Elijah through a solitary way of life.
Following the Prophet’s experience and with the same passion which led him to exclaim: «Burning with zeal for the Lord of Hosts», the hermits embraced a life of silence and solitude, abiding the grottos of the mountain and meditating the Word of God.
Sometime between 1206 and 1214, the Prior – of whom only the initial of the first name is known – asked Albert, the then Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, to approve a rule of life for the hermits.
This way, they obtained official recognition as a community within the local Church, a prelude to their recognition as a religious order, which took place only years later by the Pope. A few years later, around 1226, they built a small church near their grottos, dedicated to Our Lady, whom the hermits considered as a mother, patroness, and model of life and prayer.
The excavations performed in the fifties and sixties of the last century by the Franciscan archaeologist Bellarmino Bagatti brought to light the primitive grottos and the remains of successive buildings, with the big chapel standing out among them.
Somewhere around 1240, the first convents were founded in Europe. Even King Louis, the 9th of France, returning from a Crusade (1254), brought some Carmelites back to Europe, thus promoting their expansion.
It is only the beginning, and you can find the complete historical overview at carmelholylanddco.org
When was the current Stella Maris Monastery built?
The current church and convent were then built following the project and with the supervision of the Discalced Carmelite brother Giovanni Battista Cassini, who was an expert architect. The works started in 1836.
What Does Stella Maris Mean?
Three years later, Pope Gregory XVI gave the church the title of Minor Basilica. The Sanctuary took on the name of Stella Maris, meaning “The Star of the Sea”.
Stella Maris Church
The Stella Maris Church is a beautiful structure, its interior walls covered with white marble panels so bright and well placed, that visitors sometimes think the walls have been painted.
The dome, decorated by the Maltese Carmelite Luigi Poggi (1924-1928), depicts episodes from the Bible, the most distinct being the scene of Prophet Elijah ascending to Heaven in a chariot of fire. The statue of the Virgin Mary placed at the center of the main altar, standing on a pedestal carved from a cedar of Lebanon, is devoutly venerated by the local Christians.
Underneath the altar, one can find Elijah’s cave where according to the Old Testament, the Prophet lived for some time. Inside the cave, there is an altar carved in the rock, with a small statue of the Prophet.
On the pilaster strips of the Basilica, there are four embossments dedicated to four Carmelite Saints: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Edith Stein, and St. Mariam Bouardy.
In the room at the right of the entryway, one can see a permanent Nativity Scene and a display of some artifacts of the ancient Byzantine Church that once stood on this site.
From the outside, one can enter a small souvenir shop where religious articles and scapulars can be purchased.Just in front of the entrance to the Church, there is a pyramid memorial to the French soldiers who died after Napoleon’s retreat (1799), which reads: «How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!» (2nd Sam. 1:25) remembering King David’s lamentation over the death of Saul and Jonathan.
Source: carmelholylanddco.org
Note: According to Google Earth, Stella Maris Church is situated 145 meters above the sea.
Cave of Elijah
Underneath the altar in Stella Maris Monastery, you can see the Cave of Elijah. At the beginning of this post, I told you that you would reach Elijah’s cave if you continued the descent along the trail. So, where is it? The answer is that nobody knows. And these two places are possible locations.
The Cave of Elijah is a grotto written about in the Hebrew Bible, where the Prophet Elijah took shelter during a journey into the wilderness (1 Kings 19:8).
In the Books of Kings Elijah had been traveling for 40 days and nights when he takes shelter in the cave on Mount Horeb for the night. Upon awakening, he is talked to by God.
The exact location of the cave is unknown. There is a “Cave of Elijah” on Mount Carmel, approximately 40 m above sea level in Haifa, venerated for centuries by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Another cave associated with Elijah is located nearby under the altar of the main Church of the Stella Maris Monastery, also on Mount Carmel.
Source: Wikipedia
After visiting Stella Maris Monastery, we were hungry and drove in search of breakfast. And since I mentioned food, I want to mention two nearby restaurants.
Restaurants
Near the entrance to the monastery, you can find Santa Maria cafe. Lovely place for a cup of coffee and some strudel. And if you are looking for lunch, check out the nearby Kalamaris restaurant. They are located at the top cable car station and specialize in seafood and good views.
Bahai Gardens and The Port
Of course, I had to stop and photograph Bahai Garden terraces and the German colony:
Note: you can find the complete guide at Bahai Gardens in Haifa.
It was not easy to find someplace to eat at 8:00 on a Saturday, but we found a bakery with freshly made pastries.
Overall, waking up early was not that fun, but the experience and the photographs you get are well worth it.
That’s all for today, and I’ll see you in future travels!
Stay Tuned!
For additional attractions nearby, see Haifa.
Additional Resources
Here are several resources that I created to help travelers:- Trip Planner with Attractions and Itineraries is the page that will help you create your perfect travel route.
- What is the Best Time to visit Israel? To answer this question, we will consider the weather, prices, holidays, festivals, and more.
- Information and Tips for Tourists to Israel will answer the most common questions tourists have about Israel (including safety, passports, weather, currency, tipping, electricity, and much more).
- Israel National Parks and Nature Reserves include a complete list, top ten, map, tickets (Israel Pass, Matmon, combo), and campsites.
- If you are looking for things to do, here are the pages for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Sea Of Galilee, Akko (Acre), Eilat, Nazareth, Safed (Tzfat), and Makhtesh Ramon.
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