To discover
Come and discover the historical and natural heritage of the Great St Bernard Pass.
A Baroque church, a museum and its treasure, and plenty of walks in both summer and winter…
The church and the treasure
The Hospice Church is the highest in Europe. The original church dates back to the 13th century. In 1686, it was renovated to its present form. Admission is free. You are welcome to join the community in prayer.
A film recounting the history of the pass in four languages (French, Italian, German and English) is available on request. (Duration: 15 mins)
The treasury room displays the finest sacred objects belonging to the Congregation of the Great St Bernard.
Go to the museum
The Hospice Museum
The Hospice Museum is open every day during the summer season from 10 am to 6 pm. Last admission at 5.30 pm.
The Hospice Museum houses around 1,350 archaeological artefacts, as well as collections of stuffed animals, insects and minerals. These enable visitors to discover the history of the Pass and its natural and cultural heritage.
Saint Bernard dogs
Saint Bernard dogs are famous for rescuing travellers caught in storms or exhausted by the exertion and winter conditions during their ascent of the pass.
The congregation looked after them until 2005, when it handed over the breeding programme to the Barry Foundation.
Saint Bernard dogs continue to spend the summer season on the pass, where you can come and say hello to them and even take them for a walk.
View the calendar
Hiking and pilgrimages
The Hospice of the Great St Bernard organises pilgrimages throughout the year, offering visitors the chance to explore the mountains and discover the spirituality of the Order of St Bernard. Mountain camps for young people and teenagers are also available.
14 June to 4 October 2026
Temporary exhibition – Beyond the Robe: When Canons Pursue Their Passions
The canons and oblates of the Congregation of the Great St Bernard are not merely men and women of prayer. Behind their vocation lie true enthusiasts: they garden, paint, sculpt, tinker, collect, write or compose with fervour. This curiosity about the arts, the world and humanity has been a hallmark of the Congregation for several centuries.
Canon Laurent-Joseph Murith (1742–1816), a botanist, mountaineer and insatiable collector, was one of its most striking symbols. His successors in the 20th and 21st centuries have lost none of this spirit.
This is what I discovered through some fifteen interviews with these men and women who have dedicated their lives to God and whose passions, as diverse as they are unexpected, bear witness to a rich and overflowing humanity.
From the alphorn to model trains, from fireworks to stamp collecting, from ski mountaineering competitions to the recorder, let yourself be swept away on a journey where passion and vocation intertwine, and discover the brothers and sisters of the Congregation ‘Beyond the Habit’.
