Île Saint-Honorat and Lérins Abbey

Île Saint-Honorat is the smaller of the two main Lérins Islands, lying just south of Sainte-Marguerite off the coast of Cannes. It belongs to the community of Lérins Abbey, whose Cistercian monks live, pray and work here, and it has been a place of monastic life since Saint Honoratus founded a monastery on the island around the year 410. In the early Middle Ages Lérins became one of the most influential monasteries in Christian Europe.

A path runs all the way around the island through vineyards, olive groves and pine woods, past small chapels and quiet coves. On the southern shore stands the fortified monastery, a tall stone keep built from the 11th century to protect the monks from raids by sea, which can be visited and offers views over the islands and the coast. The present abbey buildings, with their church and cloister, date largely from the 19th century, when the monastery was revived after a period of abandonment.

The monks cultivate vineyards on the island and produce wines and liqueurs that are sold at the abbey shop, and visitors can enjoy a simple meal at the island's restaurant in season. The island is reached by the abbey's own boat service from the Vieux Port of Cannes. As this is a place of prayer, visitors are asked to dress modestly and respect the silence around the monastery.