The Institutum Carmelitanum was founded on 30 October 1951, with the approval of the Prior General Kilian Lynch and his Council, “for the promotion of studies in the Carmelite field concerning history, Mariology, and spiritual life“.

Initially it was organised into three sections (Historical, Mariological and Spiritual Life), to which a fourth section was added in 1952: Bibliography.

On 16 December 1952, the General Council approved the publication of the scientific journal Carmelus, whose first volume was published in 1954. In that same year the Institutum Carmelitanum was recognized by civil law as a publishing house.

Finally, in 1991, the process began that led to the separation of research activities from publishing and the birth of Carmelite Editions as a publishing house separate from the Institutum Carmelitanum itself.

The Institutum Carmelitanum, as an academic institution for studies and research, includes the historical section of the General Archive of the Order and the Carmelite General Library.

Throughout its history, the Institutum Carmelitanum has undergone several reforms, including the one in 2021, which defined its current organization.