Historical

Historical Information About Saint Bernards

The wonderful Saint Bernard breed has the distinction of saving lives; which dates back to the 18th century.  The Great Saint Bernard Pass is a 49 mile route in the Alps connecting Switzerland and Italy.  The elevation of the pass is 8,000 feet above sea level.  There are only a couple of months each year when snow is not an issue at the Great Saint Bernard Pass. 

 

The hospice and monastery was founded by an Augustine monk named, St. Bernard de Menthon; around the year 1050.  The Great Saint Bernard Pass has always been a treacherous place for travelers, the hospice provided help to those traveling through the area. 

It is believed that sometime between 1660 and 1670 that the monks at the monastery acquired their first Saint Bernards.  These Saint Bernards are believed to have been descendants of the mastiff style Asiactic dogs brought into the area by the Romans.  These early Saint Bernards looked quite a bit different from our Saints of today; they were smaller, had short reddish brown and white fur, and their tails were a bit longer. 

Around the early 1700's, marroniers were routinely accompanied by the Saint Bernard dogs in the pass area. The dog's wide chest helped to clear the snowy path.  At this time it became apparent that the Saint Bernard had a keen sense of smell; which allowed them to find people buried deep in the snow.  Two or three Saint Bernard dogs would be sent out alone to seek out lost or injured travelers and rescue them. 

 

During the next 150 years, Saint Bernards made rescues in the Great Saint Bernard Pass area.  Once the dogs found someone; they would dig through the snow and then lie on top of them providing some much needed warmth.  The other dog would return to the monks to let them know of their find. 

Between 1790 and 1810, Napoleon and his soldiers traversed the Pass area many times; it is well documented how many lives were saved by this noble breed.  It is said that during those years not one soldier lost his life in the Great Saint Bernard Pass, due to the heroic saving ability of the Saint Bernard. 

Most everyone has heard of Barry; the Saint Bernard who lived at the monastery from 1800 to 1812.  Barry is credited with saving more than 40 people.  Barry has been on display at the Natural History Museum in Berne, Switzerland since 1815. 

Saint Bernards have been credited with rescuing over 2000 people over the years.  The last documented rescue was in 1897; when a 12 year old boy was found nearly frozen in a crevice by a Saint Bernard.