Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
wrecks littering the shores and a small aquarium focusing on Mediterranean fauna and
flora.
You can also visit the cells of the former
state prison
, where the most famous inmate
was the Man in the Iron Mask, and walk around the compound, which boasts grand
views
of the coast.
ÎLE ST-HONORAT
Forested St-Honorat was once the site of a powerful monastery founded in the 5th century.
Now it's home to 25 Cistercian monks who own the island but welcome visitors. At
1.5km by 400m, St-Honorat is the smallest (and most southerly) of the two Lérins islands.
The
Monastère Fortifié
, guarding the island's southern shores, is all that remains of
the original monastery. Built in 1073 to protect the monks from pirate attacks, the monas-
tery's entrance stood 4m above ground level and was accessible only by ladder (later re-
placed by the stone staircase evident today). The elegant arches of the vaulted prayer
cloister on the 1st floor date from the 15th century, and there's a magnificent panorama of
the coast from the donjon terrace.
In front of the donjon is the walled, 19th-century
Abbaye Notre Dame de Lérins
, built
around a medieval cloister. In the souvenir shop you can buy the 50%-alcohol
Lérina
, a
ruby-red, lemon-yellow or pea-green liqueur concocted from 44 different herbs. The
monks also produce wine from their small
vineyard
.
THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK
The Man in the Iron Mask was imprisoned by Louis XIV (r 1661-1715) in the fortress on Île Ste-Marguerite from
around 1687 until 1698, when he was transferred to the Bastille in Paris. Only the king knew the identity of the
man behind the mask, prompting a rich pageant of myth and legend to be woven around the ill-fated inmate.
More than 60 suggested identities have been showered on the masked prisoner, among them the Duke of Mon-
mouth (actually beheaded under James II), the Comte de Vermandois (son of Louis XIV, said to have died from
smallpox in 1683) and the king's brother (a twin or an illegitimate older brother). Some theorists claimed the Man
in the Iron Mask was actually a woman.
Antibes-Juan-les-Pins
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