The origins of the Carmelite Order can be traced back to thirteenth century hermits, who, desiring to dedicate their whole lives to God in silence and solitude, retreated to caves found on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land. Taking the Blessed Virgin Mary as their Mother and living in the spirit of the prophet, Saint Elijah, these hermits lived an exemplary life of prayer and contemplation in the service of the Church. Around 1206, they asked Saint Albert, Patriarch of Jerusalem, to formulate a rule of life for them. He did this after carefully observing their way of life, thereby capturing the spirit of Carmel in their legislation. At the end of the thirteenth century, the Order spread to Europe and during the fifteenth century, the first monasteries of Carmelite nuns were established. In 1562, Saint Teresa of Jesus reformed the Carmelite Order and established the first Discalced Carmelite community in Avila, Spain. She then went on to found many more houses all over Spain and the Order has now spread world-wide.