Jean-Pierre Besch and Father Vladimir Gaudrat

On my Goodness ! It was not an expletive, but rather an expression of bliss, at the end of the auction organised on the Island of Saint-Honorat. The 13th Clos de la Charité auction raised no less than 44800 euros for ten associations in need, as well as the Cannes Red Cross, because ‘the new dispensary and dental surgery that had just been inaugurated in the République district was destroyed by the floods’, explains Father Vladimir Gaudrat, who runs the island community of Cistercian monks.

When the time came to entrust 66 lots from the Clos de la Charité to the care of auctioneer Jean-Pierre Besch (obviously a volunteer for the occasion), Father Abbot wasn't carrying a rucksack like a cross, but a ‘donation bag’, with chequebooks and newsletters to collect bids from generous donors.

An exclusive vintage

"These are people who love good wine, but it's obviously the spirit of generosity that predominates, because they could also buy it more cheaply..."

A charitable ceremony that was well worth a mass, held in the monastery at the end of the morning. There was also lunch under the Tonnelle, the restaurant of the Abbey of Lérins, where the guests were able to taste a glass of wine before buying it in bottles.

The Clos de la Charité cuvée? It's the fruit of 500 vines planted in the very grounds of the religious building, close to the sea spray. This environment is obviously blessed by the gods, allowing the Mourvèdre grape to soak up the sun and produce a red wine with "a certain power and a lot of elegance, with notes of red fruit, but also a little pepper", says expert Pascal Kuzniewski. So, for a good cause, we dared to do more pampering than penance. Jean-Pierre Besch twirled from table to table, with his usual loquaciousness, to push the price of the cork ever higher (the first bottle was bought for 500€ by an emissary of Prince Albert of Monaco).

The abbot with the hammer

But for a change, it was Father Vladimir Gaudrat who held the hammer to strike the three blows of the auction, like a blessing! It was an unusual pairing of lay and ecclesiastic, but one that proved its worth. And among the guests was a loyal sponsor, Anny Courtade : "You can't be happy yourself if you tolerate misery", said the company director. "This sale is a great opportunity to raise money for charities in need, at a time when the spirit of sharing and voluntary work is sadly disappearing".

At Saint-Honorat, that was the whole point (and spirit) of the party...

Alexandre CARINI - acarini@nicematin.fr - Nice Matin of October Sunday 6, 2024