Saint-Honorat Island view
Click on any image to see a larger (1500 x 1000 pixel) version!
On April 5, 2009, a beautiful and balmy Sunday, we took a boat from Cannes to Saint Honorat, the smaller of the two main Iles de Lérins located about a mile off-shore. We had not been to Saint-Honorat
in several years, usually preferring the larger Sainte-Marguerite with its nature preserve and fort. But, as we were reminded,
Saint-Honorat has a lot going for it, too, for example... fewer visitors! How is this possible? Simple: the monastery that owns the island limits the number and size of the boats that are allowed to bring tourists over.
The main attraction is the abbey that was founded in A.D. 410 by Saint Honoratus, so monks have been living, working, and praying on the island for
just about sixteen centuries, surely an impressive fact. Today, there are roughly 30 Cistercian monks on the island; they have taken a vow of silence, and visitors to the abbey are asked to speak in whispers, or better still, not
to speak at all while on the grounds of the monastery. Guests are also requested to wear proper attire (at least shorts and T-shirts) and refrain from smoking when on the island. Next to the Lérins abbey is the fortified monastery, an imposing structure that was built in 1070 A.D. The part with the stairs leading to an entrance is a recent add-on: access to the original was by means of a ladder
through an opening fairly high up; the ladder could then be pulled up which made the job of a would-be conqueror more difficult. Sneaky, these monks!
You can use Google Earth to visit Saint-Honorat yourself; just enter the coordinates 43°30'26.94" N, 7°2'47.34" E into the program's "Fly-To" box.
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This page was last modified on April 7, 2009
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