The Great St. Bernard Pass connects Switzerland and Italy. At 2,473 metres, it is the highest mountain pass in Europe. The famous monastery of St. Bernard de Menthon stands at the pass. For hundreds of years, St. Bernard dogs have saved the lives of travellers crossing the dangerous pass.
These friendly dogs, which were first brought from Asia, were used as watchdogs even in Roman times. Now that a tunnel has been built through the mountains, the pass is less dangerous, but each year, the dogs are still sent out into the snow whenever a traveller is in difficulty.
Despite the new tunnel, there are still a few people who rashly attempt to cross the pass on foot. During the summer months, the monastery is very busy, for it is visited by thousands of people who cross the pass in cars. As there are so many people about, the dogs have to be kept in a special enclosure.
In winter, however, life at the monastery is quite different. The temperature drops to minus thirty degrees Celsius and very few people attempt to cross the pass. The monks prefer winter to summer for they have more privacy. The dogs have greater freedom, too, for they are allowed to wander outside their enclosure.
The most famous of these dogs was called Barry. He was a dog which worked in the early nineteenth century. He saved forty lives and was sent to Berne, where a statue was erected in his honour. Until recently, the monastery kept Barry's body on display in a glass case.