Abbaye de Lerins
Abbaye de Lérins is a Cistercian monastery on Saint Honorat island near Cannes, France, operating monastic hospitality (35-guest guesthouse, 250-cover restaurant), wine production, spiritual retreats, and heritage tours for visitors, youth, retreatants, and solidarity groups.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersCannes, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Abbaye de Lerins does
Abbaye de Lérins is a Cistercian monastic community located on Saint Honorat island in the Lérins archipelago near Cannes, France. The community of 21 monks operates as the mother house of the Congrégation Cistercienne de l'Immaculée Conception (CCIC), which links affiliated monasteries in France (Sénanque, Rieunette, Castagniers-Nice), Canada (Rougemont), Vietnam (Nha Trang), and Italy (Bagnolo Piemonte). Its commercial activity is centered on monastic hospitality: a 35-guest guesthouse (hôtellerie), the La Tonnelle restaurant seating 250, two conference rooms (up to 100 and 50 people), guided heritage tours, wine and liqueur production from the abbey's vineyards, and the annual Clos de la Charité charity wine auction. Spiritual programming includes retreats, sessions for prison chaplains, JAL youth programs (Jeunes Accueil Lérins) for 18–30 year-olds, and solidarity programs run through partnerships with JRS Welcome, Secours Catholique, and Association Amitié Lérins Fondacio (ALF).
The abbey's business model is a hybrid of hospitality, viticulture, session fees, and donations rather than a conventional commercial pricing structure. Monastery stays operate on a donation-based model with no set price; guests are invited to contribute according to their means, and reservations are handled directly by the porter's office three months in advance with no online booking. Revenue streams include accommodation, the restaurant, conference room hire, wine sales and tastings, retreat fees, and tax-deductible donations channeled through the Fondation des Monastères for heritage restoration. The organization has raised approximately €108,000 in a recent campaign against an estimated €1.5 million total restoration need for its 12th-century refectory, cloister, and monastic buildings. Distribution is direct: all services are delivered on-site on Saint Honorat island, with access dependent on the Planaria ferry from Cannes. The abbey has 14,000+ annual visitors through ALF programming and welcomes 800 guests annually at Saint-Salvien House.
Marketing is non-commercial and conducted primarily through the abbey's own website, Fondacio partnership networks, European Heritage Days participation, occasional media features, and word-of-mouth within church and retreat communities. There are no investors, no venture capital backing, and no commercial advertising. The abbey is governed as a religious community under its Abbot — Père Jean-Marie Gervais, elected January 31, 2026, following the December 11, 2025 resignation of Dom Vladimir Gaudrat after 27 years of service.
Abbaye de Lerins firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Abbaye de Lerins
- Legal name
- Abbaye N-D de Lérins
- Website
- https://abbayedelerins.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Abbaye de Lérins is a Cistercian monastery on Saint Honorat island near Cannes, France, operating monastic hospitality (35-guest guesthouse, 250-cover restaurant), wine production, spiritual retreats, and heritage tours for visitors, youth, retreatants, and solidarity groups.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Abbaye de Lerins industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Monastic Hospitality and Spiritual Retreat Services
- NAICS
- Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111), Historical Sites (71212)
- SIC
- Hotels & Motels (7011), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Historic & Heritage Full-Service Hotels (THAGAAAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Conference Retreat Hotels (THAGALAG), Religious & Sacred Sites Tours (THAJAAAF)
Keywords
Where Abbaye de Lerins is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cannes
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Abbaye de Lerins business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Hospitality services: Monastic hotel accommodations for retreatants (up to 35 guests), restaurant services at La Tonnelle, and meeting room rentals for seminars and events
- Wine and liqueur production: Production and sale of wines (Saint Pierre blanc, Saint Honorat rouge) and liqueurs from the abbey's vineyards. Tasting sessions offered to visitors and groups.
- Session and retreat programs: Organized spiritual retreats and sessions for youth, professionals, and specialized groups through partnership with Association Amitié Lérins Fondacio
- Donations and fundraising: Donations for monastery restoration projects through Fondation des Monastères, with tax deductibility benefits for donors
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Monastic hotel stay - suggested contribution model |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Abbaye de Lerins product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Abbaye de Lérins operates a Cistercian monastic hospitality site on Île Saint Honorat near Cannes, offering accommodations for up to 35 retreatants, the La Tonnelle restaurant, vineyard wine production, spiritual retreats, youth programs, guided heritage tours, and conference room hire. The abbey combines centuries-old monastic life with contemporary hospitality services and cultural/heritage programming, supported by partnerships with Fondacio and Fondation des Monastères.
Product overview
Abbaye de Lérins is a Cistercian monastery on Saint Honorat island offering a diversified portfolio of products and services centered on monastic hospitality, heritage preservation, and spiritual retreats. The core offerings include a monastic guesthouse (hôtellerie) accommodating up to 35 retreatants, the La Tonnelle restaurant seating 250, vineyard and wine production with tastings, and the annual Clos de la Charité charity wine auction. Spiritual services comprise various retreats and sessions organized with Fondacio, including desert retreats, Easter programs, and youth hospitality programs (JAL). Tourism offerings include guided tours of the monastery and island, conference room hire, and art exhibition spaces. The Abbey operates as a community of 21 monks who maintain 16 centuries of monastic tradition while offering contemporary hospitality services to visitors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hôtellerie (Monastic Guesthouse)
Quantifiable outcome
- 14,000+ visitors annually through ALF programs alone
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Abbaye de Lerins
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Abbaye de Lerins technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Abbaye de Lerins partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Association Amitié Lérins Fondacio (ALF)corePrimary operational partner for hospitality and educational programming. ALF organizes youth sessions (150+ participants annually), manages Saint-Salvien House (800 guests/year), runs solidarity programs with JRS Welcome (80 beneficiaries), coordinates prison chaplaincy sessions (40 participants), and manages corporate seminars (40 people). The partnership enables the monastery to welcome diverse audiences while monks maintain spiritual leadership.
- Fondation des MonastèrescoreFacilitates tax-deductible donations for monastery restoration projects. Issues official tax receipts for donors supporting the abbey's heritage preservation efforts.关键 partner for fundraising campaigns targeting 300,000€ for immediate restoration needs.
- Planaria (ferry company)minorFerry service connecting Cannes to Saint Honorat island. Ticket office and boarding relocated to quai Saint Pierre. Visitors must use this service to reach the monastery.
- SMILO (Small Islands Organisation)minorCo-organizer of Islanders de Méditerranée event (2nd edition November 2025) focused on sustainable development of small islands. Partnership involves the monastery in environmental preservation initiatives for the Lérins archipelago marine environment.
- Initiative PIMminorCo-organizer with SMILO of Islanders de Méditerranée event. Organization focused on cooperation for small Mediterranean islands.
- CPIE des Iles de Lérins et Pays d'AzurminorEnvironmental education organization partnering with the monastery on SMILO program for marine preservation around the Lérins islands.
- Ministry of Ecological Transition (France)minorSupporting the Islanders de Méditerranée event and sustainable development initiatives for small Mediterranean islands.
- Office Français de la Biodiversité (OFB)minorSupporting marine preservation and biodiversity initiatives around the Lérins islands through the Islanders de Méditerranée event.
- Ateliers DucheminminorManufactured the eleven stained glass windows designed by artist Vera Molnár for the cloister and Sainte-Croix chapel, completing a heritage restoration project.
- Cité Internationale de la Tapisserie d'AubussonminorPartnered with the monastery to create a tapestry for the Sainte-Croix chapel, designed and donated by artist Vera Molnár. Weavers from La Rantiala workshop executed the project under the institute's coordination.
- Vera MolnárminorContemporary artist who designed and donated stained glass windows for the cloister and Sainte-Croix chapel, as well as a tapestry design for the chapel - significant artistic contributions to the monastery's heritage.
- Blue (environmental organization)minorPartner in the Islanders de Méditerranée event supporting sustainable development of Mediterranean islands.
- Pelagos SanctuaryminorPartner in Islanders de Méditerranée event focused on sustainable development of small Mediterranean islands.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Abbaye de Lerins competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Abbaye de Fontevraud: Historic French abbey operating as a hotel, restaurant, and cultural venue in the Loire Valley. Comparable combination of monastic heritage, hospitality offering, fine-dining restaurant, and cultural programming - though on a larger commercial scale.
- Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction: Historic Carthusian monastery in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon offering accommodation and guided heritage tours. Similar monastic-heritage hospitality model in southern France with comparable Mediterranean climate and tourism catchment.
- Hostellerie de l'Abbaye de la Celle: Abbey hotel in Provence operating a restaurant and guesthouse within a historic monastic setting. Closest commercial-hospitality peer within a monastic context in the same region of France.
- Taizé Community: Ecumenical monastic community in Burgundy welcoming tens of thousands of young people annually for retreats and prayer sessions. Comparable operating model (monastic community + retreat hosting) at materially larger scale, serving overlapping youth and spiritual-seeking demographics.
- Abbaye de Sénanque: Sister Cistercian monastery in Provence (Gordes, Vaucluse) operating under the same CCIC congregation as Abbaye de Lérins. Also offers hospitality to visitors and groups, with similar lavender-driven tourism appeal. Direct operational and structural comparison for monastic hospitality model.
Broad incumbents
- Relais & Châteaux: Global network of heritage hotels, gourmet restaurants, and chateaux properties. Represents the broader incumbent competitive set in heritage hospitality - the network includes multiple properties in Provence and on the Côte d'Azur competing for similar affluent and culturally-motivated travelers.
- Château de la Chèvre d'Or: Luxury heritage hotel in Èze village on the French Riviera. Comparable location catchment (Côte d'Azur) and heritage-positioning for affluent travelers, but operates at a higher commercial scale and price point than the monastic hospitality model.
Regional players
- Domaine de Fontenille: Provence wine estate with luxury hotel and restaurant near Aix-en-Provence. Comparable combination of wine production, hospitality, and Provençal positioning - but operates as a commercial luxury business rather than monastic non-profit.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Abbaye de Lerins social profiles
Digital presenceAbbaye de Lerins financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Abbaye de Lerins leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Abbaye de Lerins subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries6 records
Abbaye de Lerins funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Abbaye de Lerins M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Abbaye de Lerins
What does Abbaye de Lerins do?
Abbaye de Lérins operates a Cistercian monastic hospitality site on Île Saint Honorat near Cannes, offering accommodations for up to 35 retreatants, the La Tonnelle restaurant, vineyard wine production, spiritual retreats, youth programs, guided heritage tours, and conference room hire. The abbey combines centuries-old monastic life with contemporary hospitality services and cultural/heritage programming, supported by partnerships with Fondacio and Fondation des Monastères.
Is Abbaye de Lerins a public or private company?
Abbaye de Lerins is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Abbaye de Lerins founded?
Abbaye de Lerins was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Abbaye de Lerins based?
Abbaye de Lerins is headquartered in Cannes, France, in the Europe region.
How does Abbaye de Lerins make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hospitality services are the primary driver. The others are wine and liqueur production, session and retreat programs and donations and fundraising.
Who are Abbaye de Lerins's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Abbaye de Fontevraud, Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction, Hostellerie de l'Abbaye de la Celle, Taizé Community and Abbaye de Sénanque. Broad incumbents are Relais & Châteaux and Château de la Chèvre d'Or. Domaine de Fontenille is listed as a regional player.
Does Abbaye de Lerins have an API?
No public API is recorded for Abbaye de Lerins.
What industry is Abbaye de Lerins in?
Abbaye de Lerins's product category is Monastic Hospitality and Spiritual Retreat Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAGAAAG, Historic & Heritage Full-Service Hotels, with a secondary code of THAGALAG, Conference Retreat Hotels. Its NAICS code is 72111 and its SIC code is 7011.