You have probably heard of a breed of dogs called "Saint Bernards". They are named after Saint Bernard of Menthon, Burgundy (1020-1081). He was an archdeacon who spent 42 years evangelizing and caring for the souls in his charge.

Probably the most dangerous part of his territory was the Alpine trail, from the Aosta Valley through the mountains to Valais. The path is perpetually covered in deep snow, seven to eight feet high. Snow drifts can accumulate to four times that height, making travel extremely dangerous for the pilgrims who often journeyed to Rome through the Alps. To make things much worse, bandits lurked among the rocks, taking advantage of the many dangers to attack and rob travelers.

The archdeacon Bernard was determined to put a stop to the crime and misery. In the year 1050, he had a refuge built at the highest spot in the mountain pass - 8,000 feet above sea level. This establishment is known as a hospice or hostel, as it provided both care and safe lodging to all travelers. This site also included a church.

A few years after founding this hospice, he had a second one built on another Alpine pass, 7,076 feet above sea-level. Both hostels were run by Augustinian monks, or "canons regular" as they were known in those days. They took as their patron St. Nicholas of Myra, patron of travelers.

Over the centuries, their hostels were renowned for the generous hospitality of the monks. Food, clothing, and shelter were freely provided to all. The monks relied only on donations for their own livelihood. But their great charity went further still.

All year round, but most of all during heavy snow storms, these heroic men would risk their lives going out in search of travelers fallen prey to the dangerous weather. People were often buried alive by massive mounds of fallen snow. Braving these dangerous elements, the monks would rescue endangered travelers. And whenever their search led them to dead victims, the religious would bury the deceased and pray for their souls.

These two mountain passes were eventually named after the saint who founded the life-saving hostels. To this day, they are known as "the Great St. Bernard Pass" and "The Little St. Bernard Pass".

Between 1660 and 1670, some families living in the nearby cantons of Vaud and Valais gave the monks a gift of common herding dogs. These large, strong and loyal animals became watchdogs against bandits, for the safety of the hospice occupants.

Thus began the breed to become known as the "St. Bernard Dog".

The strength and skill of these dogs, including their strong sense of smell, caused them to be bred and trained as more than just watchdogs. They were rescue animals - to search for and retrieve endangered travelers.

They followed the scent to people who had lost their way in the mountains - or worse, were trapped under deep snow. The dogs often dug out travelers. They licked at the unconscious to wake them. If someone was too injured to walk, a dog would lie on top of the poor freezing person to give warmth while another dog rushed back to the hospice, retrieving the monks to assist the fallen traveler to safe shelter.

This life-saving work was so well executed as to literally save an army. In the chronicle’s of Napoleon’s soldiers, between 1790 and 1810, the amazing story is told that of the 250,000 men journeying through the notorious mountain pass, not a single one perished.

Recorded rescues tally up to over 2,000 individuals saved by the St. Bernard dogs. The most recent to be documented, occurring in 1897, was the rescue of a 12-year-old boy who had almost frozen to death.

The most renowned of these incredible animals was a dog named Barry. In 1823, an author named Thomas Byerley described Barry:

"This animal served the hospital for the space of twelve years, during which time he saved the lives of forty individuals. His zeal was indefatigable. Whenever the mountain was enveloped in fogs and snow, he set out in search of lost travelers. He was accustomed to run barking until he lost breath, and would frequently venture on the most perilous places. When he found his strength was insufficient to draw from the snow a traveler benumbed with cold, he would run back to the hospital in search of the monks." The account concludes with the epilogue that, when old age deprived Barry of strength, the Prior of the Monastery rewarded him with a restful retirement among friends of the monks.

While it is deeply moving to read of all the lives saved in times past, it also inspires gratitude to God for supplying us in our time with much safer methods of travel - and rescue. Helicopters are now used to save those in difficult dangerous places.

No longer required for saving Alpine travelers, the St. Bernard dogs were cross-bred to the delightful pets we know today. While our St. Bernard dogs are actually larger than the rescue dogs of the 17th century, they still share in common the traits that made their breed perfect for saving lives.

By nature, they are gentle, affectionate, loyal and hardworking. With their keen sense of smell, some have been trained to search and even rescue where needed. Who knew, all those centuries ago, what those simple cow-herding dogs were capable of…

And who knows all the good that any one act can do…

Nearly a thousand years ago, a holy man founded a refuge which has saved lives down through the centuries. Indeed, even though he didn’t live on the mountain pass, St. Bernard dedicated his own life to saving others. During the 42 years he served as archdeacon, this zealous man brought about numerous conversions and miracles. Even to the end, his goal was helping others. Shortly before he died in 1081, he reconciled two noblemen, preventing them from putting deadly threats into action.

Interestingly enough, while St. Bernard has been venerated in some places since the 12th century, he was not actually canonized until 1681 - shortly after the Great St. Bernard Hospice monks received their first watchdogs. St. Bernard himself has certainly had a central role in the rescue work of his monks and dogs.

In 1932, Pope Pius XI officially declared St. Bernard as patron of the Alps. Additionally, he is patron of skiing, snowboarding, hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering. Even now, some detachments of the Tyrolean Alpine Guard honor the saint by bearing his image in their flag. And to this day, the delightful dogs, with all the joy they bring to their owners, honor the memory of their beloved namesake.