Stella Maris occupies the seaward tip of Mount Carmel, above the great curve of Haifa bay and its port. The monastery is the principal house of the Order of Carmelites, a religious family whose origins lie on this very mountain, among hermits who settled here in the medieval period and took their name from it. At the heart of the church, below the altar, opens a cave associated by long tradition with the prophet Elijah, whose confrontation on Mount Carmel is one of the most dramatic episodes of the Hebrew Bible — a figure venerated by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. Above, the dome is covered with painted scenes drawn from Elijah, the Holy Family and the history of the order. Around the monastery, the headland offers panoramic views over the Mediterranean, the bay and the coastline running north towards Acre, with a lighthouse standing opposite the entrance. Filmed in 4K, the programme brings together sacred architecture, an exceptional coastal setting and a clear narrative thread: how a mountain associated with a prophet became the cradle of a religious order present on every continent.
