Saint-Honorat

I visited the Island of Saint-Honorat during my vacations in Cannes in September 2001. We did a day trip to the Lérins Islands by ferry from the port of Cannes in a same way as a lot of other tourists. I do not remember all the details but the tour included both islands. It means bigger Sainte-Marguerite with the fortress, where a small museum was located, and nice small beaches all around the island, where we spent most of our time. We also did a short stop at the Saint Honorat Island, where the monastery is located.

As the island is still inhabited by the community of monks not all the places are accessible for tourists. There are big church rebuilt in 19th Century, adjacent Monastery buildings surrounded by crop fields, and the most interesting component: the fortified monastery located direct on the shore. While the big church was built in eclectic "neo" style and did not attract me too much, I spent some time by walking on the ramparts of the fortified tower with views towards the inner arcades.

PHOTO: Sorry for very poor quality! In the middle, you can see the tower of the church and the fortified monastery is visible on the right side.

All in all, the island is quite nice, but cannot compete with other attractions of the Provence region. I cannot see even traces of the OUV, and I do not understand why this site was proposed. The Western Christianity including …