ISLAND OF SAINT HONORAT.
This island beckons with its fairy-tale beauty. The sea with incredible shades of azure reminds one of the name of these places. The grove of the famous ‘umbrella’ pine will greet you at the pier, while the eucalyptus alleys lead to the oldest monastery in Europe.
To this day, the monastery buildings from the 8th and 11th centuries AD have been preserved in this extraordinary place. Monks still oversee order on the island. There are no cars and smoking is prohibited, while a small shop sells real ‘treasures’ – monastery wine and liqueurs made from 44 herbs according to very ancient recipes – one of many undisclosed secrets of the monks of this monastery. In ancient times, this island was called LERINA. It is slightly smaller than Saint Margaret: only 1500 m long and 400 m wide. Here is an active male monastery, the oldest in the history of Christianity. The foundation of its history is the legend of Saint Honorat: there was a hermit monk in the fifth century AD who led an ascetic lifestyle, settling in one of the caves of Esterel… And then the tales begin. It is hard to believe, but much of what the locals tell as legend is supported by historical facts. To this day, buildings from the 8th and 11th centuries AD have been preserved here. The pioneers in the art of winemaking on the Côte d’Azur were the Lerinian monks. They still cultivate vineyards, grow lavender, rosemary, and another 44 species of plants. The monks also make LERINA – dry wine and liqueurs according to recipes that are already 2800 years old.
ISLAND OF SAINT MARGARET.
The oldest settlement in this part of the Mediterranean will reveal its secrets to you. One of the most astonishing stories happened right here, on the island of Saint Margaret. The guide will tell you about the mysterious ‘iron mask’. LERO is the ancient name of the island. The Greeks settled here in the 8th century BC. Amazing facts of Roman history of this settlement have been preserved. The legend of Saint Margaret replaced the name LERO. The island is 3 kilometers long and 900 meters wide, covering 180 hectares of forest of umbrella pines and eucalyptus. The fort from the time of Francis I became a prison in the 18th century. Mr. Dumas-father immortalized the most interesting prisoner of this dungeon, calling him in his novel ‘the iron mask’. There are many versions of this story. Only one thing is known for sure – the prisoner in the mask lived on the island for 18 years. After which he was sent to the Bastille.
