Go Retreats:The Cistercian monks knew what they had found at the isle of St Honorat – a little piece of Mediterranean heaven, writes Carolyn Reynier
ARE YOU looking for a small, peaceful and unpolluted Mediterranean island, devoid of property speculators and within easy access of an international airport? Welcome to the island of St Honorat, one of the two Lérins islands, which lie in the bay just off Cannes on the French Riviera.
This little bit of heaven on earth is, well, just that. The island belongs to a community of Cistercian monks. Early in the fifth century, the eponymous saint arrived here with his companions and monks have lived here ever since. They chose here as opposed to the much larger neighbouring island of St Marguerite because St Honorat has a fresh water spring – there was no mains water in those days.
The island is open to visitors all year and is a popular destination for day trips. But the best way to benefit from this special place is to go on retreat.
The 200 bus from Nice deposits me a five-minute walk from the embarkation point. It is half-term, and parents with young children and groups of teenagers board the St Honorat IIIto spend the day picnicking by the water in the shade of Aleppo pines; those of us with a little more luggage are going on retreat.
Twenty-five minutes later, I am wandering along paths of reddish clay to the monastery, past vineyards now sporting leaves in stunning shades of gold and burnished copper. I walk past giant aloes, cacti and agaves to the reception; a granite plaque on the wall bears a dedication to St Patrick. Tradition has it that he was also captivated by this oasis of peace.
The monastery can accommodate up to 30 retreatants. Jean-Claude, a smiling, blue-eyed layman, walks with me into the cloisters. In the autumn sunshine, a couple of folk are reading in the garden. Jean-Claude shows me the small chapel and library, the latter with tea and coffee facilities, both of which are open 24/7. We walk up the stone steps; he shows me the communal showers and toilet at the end of the corridor, then my room. It is simply furnished – a single bed, wash-hand basin, hanging space, table and chair. He hands me a salmon pink sheet with times of offices on one side, and 11 house rules on the other (considerably less than those originally laid down by St Benedict) – protect the silence is number one. Nothing is officially organised but the community hopes you’ll participate in their monastic life.
Now the abbey bell, which will regulate my life for the next five days, calls us to prayer. I follow others walking through the cloister garden to the church. Here, for the first time, I hear the chanting voices of white-cowled monks rising up into the air, filling the small church with waves of sound. I decide to attend all the offices.
In between the offices, I explore St Honorat. There are seven ancient chapels scattered among holm oaks and pine trees. The Chapelle de la Trinité, in the far southeast corner of the island, dates from the ninth or 10th century. After the island was taken by the Spanish in 1635, the chapel was transformed into a small fortress, with the addition of an upper level for the placement of a battery of cannons. It was only returned to its original state in 1936. In the opposite corner, not far from the landing stage, is the octagonal 11th-century Chapelle St Sauveur, which gives its name to one of the religious red wines made here. Close by the monastery is the Chapelle St Pierre, which was restored in 1963.
The two cannonball furnaces – there exist today only a dozen in France – contributed towards coastal defences in the 18th and 19th centuries. Red-hot cannonballs were launched to set fire to sails and timber bridges of unwelcome ships.
Today, you are welcome to browse in the monastery shop, chock-a-block with goodies – not just Lérins Abbey produce but also chocolates, biscuits, aromatic plants and tisanes (herbal teas) from other French monasteries. The Lérins wines are bottled in tall, elegant bottles. For €1,000, you can sponsor a vine in the newly planted Clos de la Charité.
For less charitable purposes, the construction of the fortified monastery started in the 11th century and continued for the following three. I climb up several flights of circular stone steps to the top from where I am greeted with magnificent panoramic views of the new monastery, Cannes and the hills beyond. There are two impressive, superimposed cloisters composed of 12 marble octagonal columns, built Roman-style around a water cistern; in the basement are substantial cellars, probably used for food reserves.
We retreatants eat in silence in the refectory. With pasta dishes, salads, soup and cheese, we don’t go hungry. We are served wine at lunchtime, sadly not the monks’ own produce but perfectly acceptable wine from the Var region. The daily reading is relayed to us from the monks’ refectory. Afterwards, we wash up and lay tables for the next meal.
The minimum stay is two, the maximum is a week. Before I went to St Honorat, I wondered why on earth anybody would want to stay more than a week at an island monastery. Now I have been there, I understand. Sharing the life of these gentle men could become habit-forming.
Where to stay, eat and go
La Pérouse, 11 Quai Rauba Capeu, Nice, 00-33-4-93623463, hotel-la-perouse.com. A stylish hotel overlooking the Baie des Anges. Perfect for an overnight before or after your retreat. Doubles from €150.
The Villa Rivoli, 10 Rue de Rivoli, Nice, 00-33-4- 93888025, villa-rivoli.com. Handy for the Musée Masséna, an excellent museum of Nice history. Doubles from €54.
Hôtel Le Meurice, 14 Avenue de Suède, 00-33-4-97030520, hotel-le-meurice.com. This is near the pedestrian zone. Doubles from €72.
La Tonnelle restaurant, St Honorat, 00-33-4-92995424. It reopens around February 25th and features monastic produce.
Le Carlton, 58 La Croisette, 00-33-4-93064006, intercontinental.com. Pop in for a glass of champagne in the Bar des Célébrités.
Marché Forville, Cannes. This covered market is open all week. On Monday, it sells secondhand goods.
Get into the habit: retreats to remember
Italy
Il Santurio della Verna
Set high in the Tuscan Apennines, overlooking the Casentino hills between Florence and Arezzo, this is the idyllic spot to which St Francis repaired when in search of solitude, and it is where he received his stigmata. Long a place of pilgrimage, guests today stay in 72 plainly furnished rooms with showers and heating.
€55 full board, 00-39-57-55341, santuariolaverna.org.
Montefiascone Monastery
The hilltop town of Montefiascone in Viterbo has been perched on an extinct volcano since Etruscan times. The monastery is run by Capuchins and offers en suite accommodation all year round. It is situated just east of Lake Bolseno, a popular tourist destination in its own right, with two islands worth a boat-trip to see. Singles €31, family rooms sleeping five for €155. monasterystays.com
Hotel Oasi Neumann
This ancient monastic site in Cortona dates to the 13th century but a decline in vocations in the 1970s saw its religious owners develop it as a commercial hotel. Today it is run by the Roman province of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, a religious congregation active in 70 countries around the world.
B&B €45, 00-39-57-5630127, servizire.it
Monte Oliverto Abbey
Entered via the original drawbridge, the abbey at Monte Olivierto is situated on the edge of the medieval village of Chiusure d'Asciano, 36km south of Siena. The Benedictine community here dates to the 14th century and lives on a hill surrounded by thick forest. Visitors stay in the old Abbey farmhouse. B&B €30, monte-oliveto.com
Casa Santo Nome di Gesu
Described by some as akin to staying in a museum, this Florentine convent is run by the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, and is housed in a 15th- century palace along the banks of the Arno. Singles €33-45, 00-39-55-213856, fmmfirenze.it
San Gimignano
To the northwest of Siena stands the magical hill-top town of San Gimignano, whose soaring spires and towers are visible to travellers for miles around. The Unesco-heritage listed town has churches brimming with fine pieces of Renaissance art. The walled town is also known for the local white wine, made from Vernaccia grapes.
Singles from €37.50, monasterystays.com
Spain
Royal Monastery of St Thomas
This monastery is located within the city walls of Avila in central Spain, best known for its association with St Teresa. Filled with beautiful buildings, the monastery itself has three magnificent cloisters and a Museum of Oriental Art housed in what was previously a summer palace of Spain's Catholic kings.
Singles €32, €42 with dinner, 00-34-920-220400, monasteriosantotomas.com
Montserrat
One hour's drive north-west of Barcelona and dating to the 11th century is this Benedictine monastery, which is visited by thousand each year. Tourists stay in self-contained apartments or at the monastery's Hotal Abat Cisneros. The area is great for hill walking. Take the funicular up to the top of the mountain for amazing views and soak up the daily choral music in the Basilica. Singles €58, 00-34-93-8777701, www.montserratvisita.com
Austria
Stift Heiligenkreuz Abbey
Today perhaps best known for a CD of Gregorian chant, which the brothers uploaded to YouTube before it was picked up by a major record label, this is the Cistercian community's oldest continuously active abbey. Located in the middle of the Vienna woods, it is one of the most beautiful medieval monasteries in the world.
Full board €32, 00-43-2258-8703 stift-heiligenkreuz.org
- Sandra O'Connell