(Hannah Brockhaus/CNA) — At the Vatican on Monday, Pope Francis recalled the hospitality and peacemaking of St. Bernard of Aosta, the patron saint of mountaineers and Alpine travelers who lived one millennium ago and gave his name to the St. Bernard dog breed.
Bernard, also known as St. Bernard of Menthon, lived from about 1020–10811 in what are now the countries of France, Switzerland, and Italy.
A priest and missionary to mountain villages, he created the Great St. Bernard Hospice to help pilgrims crossing the treacherous Pennine Alps and founded the institute of consecrated life known as the Canons Regular of the Hospitaller Congregation of Great Saint Bernard.
See two relevant entries on this site:
- Saint Bernard of Menthon
- St. Bernard Dogs (which are named after this Saint Bernard)
Pope Francis meets with the delegations of the Diocese of Aosta, Italy, and the Congregation of the Canons of Great Saint Bernard on Nov. 11, 2024, in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican. Image credit: Vatican Media
- Our Saint of the Day feature on this site has him dying in 1008, which agrees with the old Catholic Encyclopedia article. Wikipedia has him dying in 1081, as CNA does. ↩
