to a cave in the Gorge of Galamus, near Lesquerde, where he lived until 1842. He then moved to the region of Montauban, where he continued to live his solitary life in the Grotto of the Holy Cross in Livron, and then in Cambayrac. In 1843 he published his first work, La lucha del alma con Dios (The Soul Struggling with God). He began to inspire groups of men and women to live similar lifestyles of solitude, giving them direction in their quest. It was during this period that he came to know Juana Gratias, who later became a pivotal figure in his founding of congregations of Carmelite Tertiary Brothers and Sisters. During Palau's time staying there, living in a cave situated 2 km from the village, his form of living shocking for many people, he drew the hostile attention of both the civil and ecclesiastical authorities, including the local bishop, Jean-Marie Doney. What had been a confusing oscillation from solitude to service and back to solitude again made sense for him when he recognized that the real Church is the congregation of humans in the whole Christ. God and neighbors together, is his Beloved. Palau returned briefly to Spain in 1846. He stayed in his hometown of Aitona. He was soon accused by the local government authorities of upsetting the public order and returned to France the following year. He initially settled in Caylus, Tarn-et-Garonne, where he received a hostile reception. Expelled from there by the local government in December 1847, he returned to Cambayrac, where he again faced the hostility of Doney, which lasted even after his ultimate return to Spain. Due to the outbreak of the French Revolution of 1848, Palau obtained a parcel of land in Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, near Perpignan, where he withdrew for greater solitude. The small religious community of hermits he had founded also faced the hostility which their founder had found, and the women's community was suppressed by Doney. In 1849, to defend himself, he wrote: La vida solitaria (The Solitary Life) and El solitario de Cantayrac (The Solitary of Cambayrac). Return to Spain Palau returned to Spain on 13 April 1851, after a Concordat had been signed between the Spanish government and the Holy See. One of its provisions, however, had been the continuation of the suppression of religious communities. Unable to live again with his Carmelite brothers, Palau made himself available to