died c. 1195
Feast Day
March 29
Not much is known about this hermit who is considered by some historians to be the founder of the order of Carmelite friars. Various legends had him born in Limoges, France, educated at the University of Paris, and participating in the Crusades in Turkey. What is known is that he directed a group of Frankish hermits living on Mount Carmel in Palestine in the second half of the 12th century. The existence on Mount Carmel of a church and hermitage in the spiritual tradition of the prophet Elijah is documented from 1163 on. After Berthold’s death, the hermits were led by another Frenchman, St. Brocard; Carmelite houses became well-established throughout Europe by 1300.