One of the oldest Carmelite houses in Europe, the monastery of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence (established in 1268), has been home since 1993 to an unusual experiment in shared religious life: a community of friars, married couples, and a consecrated lay woman living together under the same roof.
The initiative grew out of relationships rather than formal planning. Father Agostino Bartolini, O. Carm., the founder, together with some members of the lay movement La Famiglia (“The Family”), made up the group from its earliest days. At its height, more than thirty people lived in the monastery, including several families with young children. Today, three friars, the consecrated lay woman, and three married couples remain in residence, along with four young adults who grew up in the community.
Daily life follows a rhythm shaped by the Liturgy of the Hours. Those present gather for morning prayer, Mass, midday prayer, and evening prayer. Work and ordinary responsibilities fill the rest of the day. Over the years, the families have developed a bakery business that supports the community and connects it with the city of Florence.
Members also participate in the life of the nearby parish through catechesis, and serve as extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, while the friars provide spiritual guidance and liturgical ministry at Santa Maria del Carmine church.
The physical structure of the monastery has supported both togetherness and appropriate privacy: families have always had their own living quarters, while the church, dining room, cloister, and kitchen remain shared spaces. Meals regularly include guests, extended family, and friends; moments that have played a significant role in sustaining the bonds of community life over more than three decades.
Similar communities shaped by this experience exist at Castellina and Le Salaiole, both in Tuscany. A new chapter in the shared history of these communities is represented by Klara and Giovanni, who are preparing for marriage this September. Klara grew up at Le Salaiole, while Giovanni grew up in Florence; having known each other through these connected communities from childhood, they now begin a family of their own.
As the founding members grow older and the community becomes smaller, questions about the future remain open. What can be said is that for more than thirty years, friars and families have shared prayer, work, and daily life in this place, a lived expression of the Carmelite charism across different vocations.
