At 2,469 metres the Great St Bernard Pass is the dramatic high point of the Via Francigena, the crossing where the route leaves Switzerland and descends into Italy. An ancient Roman road traversed it, and around 1050 St Bernard of Menthon founded a hospice here to shelter pilgrims from the brutal Alpine weather. The Augustinian canons have offered refuge ever since, and the pass gave its name to the famous rescue dogs once bred to find travellers lost in the snow.
Highlights
- The 11th-century hospice where Augustinian canons still shelter pilgrims
- The most storied credential timbro of the entire route
- Summit shrine of Jupiter Poeninus and Napoleon's 1800 crossing
- Home of the famous St Bernard rescue dogs in summer residence
- Dawn reflections of the hospice in the lake at 2,469 metres
At a glance
| Period | Roman pass; hospice founded 11th century |
|---|---|
| Stage | 9 — Bruay-la-Buissière to Arras |
Take care
- Pass open roughly June to early October and buried in deep snow otherwise
- Weather closes in fast — snow possible outside high summer, cold after sunset
- Keep to the marked path; the road tunnel is not for walkers
History
An earlier hospice down the valley at Bourg-Saint-Pierre, recorded from around 812, was wrecked by Saracen raiders in the 10th century, prompting the new foundation at the summit around 1050. The present main building dates largely from the 16th century and was enlarged in 1823 to designs by Henri Perregaux. A carriage road finally crossed the pass in 1905, and the opening of the road tunnel beneath it in 1964 diverted most traffic, leaving the summit to summer travellers and pilgrims.
Myth & legend
Sigeric recorded the pass as 'Sancte Remei' on his return journey in 990. Long before that, ancient travellers worshipped Jupiter Poeninus at a summit shrine, and Napoleon famously led his army across the pass in 1800 on the march into Italy.
Geology
The pass crosses the crystalline core of the Pennine Alps, where the Grand St Bernard nappe stacks ancient gneisses and schists that were buried, metamorphosed and thrust northwards during the Alpine collision. Ice-age glaciers ground the crossing into its bare, rounded form, and the summit lake sits in a rock hollow scoured out by that ice.
Wildlife & nature
Alpine marmots whistle from the boulder fields, ibex and chamois graze the ridges, and alpine choughs wheel around the hospice buildings and the col. In the brief flowering of late June and July the turf and screes carry trumpet and spring gentians, alpine rose, moss campion and edelweiss, with ravens and snowfinches on the rocks.
The view
At 2,469 metres the hospice and its small lake sit in a stark saddle of rock and late-lying snow, with the statue of St Bernard watching the old paved mule road drop away towards Italy.
Photography
Evening and dawn, once day visitors have gone, give still reflections of the hospice in the lake; carry a wide lens for the amphitheatre of peaks, and look for the famous dogs in summer residence.
When to visit
The road pass is genuinely seasonal, open roughly June to September or early October and buried in deep snow otherwise; even in August expect cold mornings, sudden fog and afternoon storms.
Getting there
Walkers climb from Bourg-Saint-Pierre on the Swiss side, and summer buses link the Martigny and Aosta valleys over the pass; outside the open season the crossing is a serious winter route.
Where to stay
The Augustinian hospice has sheltered pilgrims for nearly a thousand years and still offers beds and communal meals to credential holders; auberge-style lodging also operates at the pass in season.
Food & water
Refill at the hospice — there is nothing else once you leave Bourg-Saint-Pierre, so carry plenty and treat the crossing as a full mountain day in either direction.
Safety
A genuine alpine crossing at 2,469 metres: snow is possible outside high summer, weather closes in fast, and temperatures drop sharply after sunset. Check conditions before committing, carry warm and waterproof layers, and keep to the marked path — the road tunnel is not for walkers. In an emergency dial 112.
Accessibility
This is high-mountain terrain with rough stone paths, altitude and fast-changing weather; in season vehicles reach the pass by road, but ground beyond the buildings is uneven alpine rock.
Visitor tips
Sleep at the hospice rather than day-tripping — evening prayer with the canons and dawn over the lake reward the stay; have your credential stamped here, the most storied timbro of the entire route.
The guide, in full
The written guide to this site.
There comes a morning on this journey when walking stops being walking and turns into mountaineering by another name. You leave Bourg-Saint-Pierre in the half dark, the valley narrows, the trees give up, and the old paved mule road lifts you into a world of bare rock and late-lying snow. At two thousand four hundred and sixty-nine metres you come over the lip of the col, and there it is: a stark saddle between peaks, a small cold lake, a huddle of tall stone buildings, and the statue of Saint Bernard looking out over the road as it drops away towards Italy. This is the high point of the Via Francigena in every sense. People have crossed here far longer than Christianity has existed. Ancient travellers worshipped Jupiter Poeninus at a summit shrine and left offerings for a safe passage, and Rome drove a road over the col to link the Po valley with Gaul. Sigeric the Serious came this way home from Rome in the year nine hundred and ninety and set the pass down in his list as Sancte Remei, one of the eighty stopping places that still define your route. An earlier hospice down at Bourg-Saint-Pierre, recorded from around eight hundred and twelve, was wrecked by Saracen raiders in the tenth century, which is why, around ten fifty, Bernard of Menthon founded a new refuge at the summit itself, where it was most needed. The Augustinian canons have kept it ever since. That is nearly a thousand years of unbroken hospitality on a mountain top, and it may be the most remarkable single fact on this entire road. The buildings you see are largely sixteenth century, enlarged in eighteen twenty-three to designs by Henri Perregaux. A carriage road finally reached the col in nineteen oh five, and when the tunnel opened beneath it in nineteen sixty-four most of the traffic went underground, leaving the summit to walkers, summer visitors and pilgrims. Napoleon brought an army of some forty thousand men across in eighteen hundred, dragging cannon in hollowed-out pine trunks through the snow on his way into Italy. And then there are the dogs, the great St Bernards bred by the canons and sent out with the servants of the hospice to find travellers stranded in the drifts. They still spend their summers up here, and they are every bit as large as you are hoping. The rock beneath your boots belongs to the crystalline core of the Pennine Alps, ancient gneisses and schists that were buried, cooked and thrust northwards during the collision that raised these mountains. Ice-age glaciers then scoured the col into its rounded, scraped shape and hollowed the basin that the summit lake now fills. Marmots whistle from the boulder fields, ibex and chamois work the ridges, alpine choughs tumble around the buildings, and for a few brilliant weeks in late June and July the turf carries trumpet gentians, moss campion, alpine rose and edelweiss. Treat this as a serious mountain day. Snow is possible outside high summer, weather closes in fast, the temperature drops hard once the sun goes, and the road tunnel is emphatically not for walkers, so check conditions, carry warm and waterproof layers, and keep to the marked path. Above all, do not day-trip this place. Stay the night, share the canons' evening prayer and their table, and have your credential stamped with the most storied timbro of the whole route. Then wake early and watch the light come onto the lake. Italy is waiting just below you.
Common questions
How old is Great St Bernard Pass & Hospice?
Great St Bernard Pass & Hospice dates from the Roman pass; hospice founded 11th century period.
How do I get to Great St Bernard Pass & Hospice?
Walkers climb from Bourg-Saint-Pierre on the Swiss side, and summer buses link the Martigny and Aosta valleys over the pass; outside the open season the crossing is a serious winter route.
Is Great St Bernard Pass & Hospice accessible?
This is high-mountain terrain with rough stone paths, altitude and fast-changing weather; in season vehicles reach the pass by road, but ground beyond the buildings is uneven alpine rock.
When is the best time to visit Great St Bernard Pass & Hospice?
The road pass is genuinely seasonal, open roughly June to September or early October and buried in deep snow otherwise; even in August expect cold mornings, sudden fog and afternoon storms.
Is there food and water at Great St Bernard Pass & Hospice?
Refill at the hospice — there is nothing else once you leave Bourg-Saint-Pierre, so carry plenty and treat the crossing as a full mountain day in either direction.
Where can I stay near Great St Bernard Pass & Hospice?
The Augustinian hospice has sheltered pilgrims for nearly a thousand years and still offers beds and communal meals to credential holders; auberge-style lodging also operates at the pass in season.
What should I know before visiting Great St Bernard Pass & Hospice?
Sleep at the hospice rather than day-tripping — evening prayer with the canons and dawn over the lake reward the stay; have your credential stamped here, the most storied timbro of the entire route.
Is Great St Bernard Pass & Hospice safe to visit?
A genuine alpine crossing at 2,469 metres: snow is possible outside high summer, weather closes in fast, and temperatures drop sharply after sunset. Check conditions before committing, carry warm and waterproof layers, and keep to the marked path — the road tunnel is not for walkers. In an emergency dial 112.
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