Berthold of Calabria (french: Berthold de Malifaye; la, Bertoldus Calabriensis; died 1195) was a

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

n crusader and

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

who established a hermit colony on

Mount Carmel Mount Carmel ( he, הַר הַכַּרְמֶל, Har haKarmel; ar, جبل الكرمل, Jabal al-Karmil), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias ( ar, link=no, جبل مار إلياس, Jabal Mār Ilyās, lit=Mount Saint Elias/Elijah), is a c ...

in 1185. He was introduced into

Carmelite , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

literature around the 15th century as Saint Berthold of Mount Carmel and is said to have been a general of the Order before Brocard.Staring, Adrian. "Brocard", carmelnet
/ref> Berthold was a son of the Count of

Limoges Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...

and was born in Malifaye in southwest France. The label "Calabrian" was a contemporary euphemism for "Westerner." Berthold was a nephew of Aymeric of Malifaye, the Latin patriarch of Antioch.Juniper B. Carol ''Mariology'' 1961 "About 1155, a Crusader from Calabria, Berthold of Malifaye, son of the Count of Limoges, with ten companions retired to Mt. Carmel and began living there as a hermit."Stevens, Clifford. ''The One Year Book of Saints'', Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., Huntington, Indiana
/ref> Berthold went to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

as part of the Crusades and was in Antioch when it was besieged by the

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

. During this time he had a vision of Christ denouncing the soldiers' evil methods. At the time, hermits from the West were scattered throughout

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

. Some accounts hold that in 1185 he came to Mount Carmel, built a small chapel there and gathered a community of hermits who would live at his side in imitation of the prophet Elijah. This community was believed to have given rise to the Order of the Carmelites, but this is not supported by evidence and is discounted by historians of the Order. Berthold lived out his days on Mount Carmel, ruling the community he had founded for forty-five years until his death in 1195. Tradition holds that he was accepted as leader of the hermits by Brocard. His feast day is celebrated on March 29.

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Carmelite Spirituality and Vocation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bertold Founders of Catholic religious communities Carmelites French hermits Palestinian hermits 12th-century Christian saints Medieval French saints 1195 deaths Year of birth missing Christians of the Second Crusade Priors General of the Order of Carmelites

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