ÃŽle Sainte-Marguerite

Sainte -Marguerite is the largest island of the archipelago of Iles de Lérins. Its area is 150 ha, it is about 3,200 meters long and 900 meters wide. The island is inhabited, there are several restaurants, some real estate, a post office, a museum; the streets have a name.

Etymology

To the Romans, the island was as Lero, the neighboring Saint- Honorat known as Lérina, hence the name of the Iles de Lérins. Your today's more common name comes from the island of the sister of the Honorat of Arles. This hermit was the founder of lying to the south second largest island of Saint- Honorat, on which the monastery of the Cistercians was founded. His sister Marguerite headed in the 5th century, the convent on the island. The siblings could not see, because male monks were allowed to see any women.

Geographical location

Sainte -Marguerite is good ' to see the coast of Cannes and reached from there by ferry in 15 minutes. The island was already the electors of the City Pablo Picasso very important, and it is now, together with Saint Honorat to the city's sights. There are growing eucalyptus and pine trees on the island. The city attaches great importance to the island as far as possible remain unaffected, so that keeps the civilizing influence within limits. Today, between Sainte -Marguerite and Saint -Honorat many yachts at anchor.

Island as a fortress

The Fort Royal on the northern edge of the island has been created for his tenures under Richelieu and expanded in the 18th century by the military architect Vauban, so the castle today are the called Fort Vauban. Centuries it served as a state prison. The fort is now a tourist attraction and has a museum. In the cells stay in youth groups, which make holiday on the island.

State prison

The fort on the island for years, served as a state prison. The most famous prisoner was the fortress from 1687 to 1689, the mysterious man in the iron mask, his identity is not fully understood even today and is reason for speculation. The other famous prisoners of the state Gefängnises the island was Irishman Andrew Mac Donagh, born in 1738, who remained imprisoned at the king's command in May 1777 for alleged insubordination in the same cell 12 years and 7 months until he was liberated by the French Revolution. In February 1990, was found in the restoration hidden hand notes of the prisoner in the cell wall. These are now exhibited publicly in the cell.

In his novel Le Vicomte de Bragelonne Alexandre Dumas sen described. the transport of the prisoners in the fortress of D' Artagnan. According to Dumas, he was said to be the twin brother of Louis XIV, which had been freed with the aid of Aramis and Porthos, with many tricks from Bastille and replaced with the real king of France. The similarity of the two brothers should have been so deceptive that not even her mother, Anne of Austria (1601-1666), this notice. After the failed coup attempt by the Prince was covered with an iron mask, brought to the island and held captive there. 43.5192222222227.0490555555556Koordinaten: 43 ° 31 'N, 7 ° 3' O

Pictures

View of Fort Royal from below

Prison cell of the " Iron Mask " on the island of Sainte -Marguerite

View of the island of Saint- Honorat from the coast