Saint Honore Island

Saint-Honorat is the second largest island in the French Lérins Archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It is about 1.5 kilometers long from east to west and 400 meters wide. About 1.6 kilometers off the coast of Cannes, the island has been home to a monastic community since the fifth century. The current monastery buildings were built around 1073. In Roman times, the uninhabited island was called Lerina until Saint Honoratus, who later became Archbishop of Arles, founded the Abbey of Lerina on the island around 410. According to tradition, St. Honoratus made his home on the island intending to live a secluded life, but he found that his disciples, including St. Capra, who would later be canonized as a Christian saint, joined him and a monastic community formed around him. According to the contemporary writings of the Christian theologian John Cassian, by 427 it had become a vast monastery. Later legend has it that St. Patrick, known as the "Apostle of Ireland," studied at this monastery in the fifth century. Over the following centuries, monastic life on the island was interrupted several times by attacks, mostly by Saracens. Around 732, many members of the monastery, including the abbot Bocharius, were massacred on the island by invaders. According to myth, many of the monks escaped because Pocharius was warned by an angel who whisked them away to safety. During the Middle Ages, the Island of Saint-Honorat became a popular pilgrimage site. The island's fame was greatly enhanced by the biography of the monk Raymond Ferro, who created a mythical life for the island. In 1635, Saint-Honorat Island was occupied by the Spanish and the monks were expelled. Two years later, they returned from exile in Vallauris when the Island of Saint-Honorat was recaptured by the French. The monastery continued to suffer attacks from Spain and Genoa. The number of monks was reduced to four, and in the revolutionary atmosphere of the time, the monastery was dissolved in 1787. During the Revolution, the island of Saint-Honorat became state property and was sold to a Mademoiselle de Sanval, a wealthy actress who lived on the island for 20 years. In 1859, the island of Saint-Honorat was bought by the Bishop of Fréjus, who attempted to re-establish a religious community there. Ten years later, a Cistercian community was formed, which survives to this day. Today, the monks cultivate vineyards and produce wine and liqueurs. #France #FranceTravel #FranceTourism #FrenchPlaces #Cannes #Mediterranean #Island #Monastery #Provence