Saint Bernard (redirected from St. Bernard)

Saint Bernard, two Alpine passes

Saint Bernard, two Alpine passes, both used since antiquity. The

Great Saint Bernard (alt. 8,110 ft/2,472 m), on the Italian-Swiss border, links Valais canton, Switzerland, with Valle d'Aosta, Italy. Frequented by the Gauls and Romans, the pass also was crossed by Charlemagne, Emperor Henry IV, Frederick Barbarossa, and Napoleon I. The hospice, founded by St. Bernard of Menthon, is in the charge of Augustinian friars. The St. Bernard dogs bred by them were formerly used to search for lost travelers. A ruined temple of Jupiter stands at the summit. Nearby are a hotel, a church, a library, and a scientific institute. The Great St. Bernard Road Tunnel, c.4 mi (6.4 km) long, linking Switzerland and Italy, was opened in 1964. The

Little Saint Bernard (alt. 7,178 ft/2,188 m) connects Savoie dept., France, with Valle d'Aosta, Italy. It also has a hospice founded by St. Bernard of Menthon.

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Saint Bernard, breed of dog

Saint Bernard, breed of massive working dog developed in Switzerland in the 18th cent. and perfected by British breeders during the 19th cent. It stands from 25 to 29 in. (64–74 cm) high at the shoulder and weighs from 140 to 170 lb (64–77 kg). There are two varieties of St. Bernard, the smooth-coated, with very dense, short hair, and the rough-coated, with medium-length, straight or slightly wavy hair. In color the coat may be white with red markings, red with white markings, white with brindle, or brindle with white. The muzzle is white and the face characteristically marked with black. The St. Bernard was originally bred by the monks at the Hospice of the St. Bernard Pass in the Swiss Alps for rescue and guide work. Early in its history, the St. Bernard became a legendary figure as a result of the widespread stories of its valiant missions to save the lives of snowbound travelers in the pass. This rescue work, however, has undoubtedly been overemphasized. Endowed with an uncanny sense of direction, the St. Bernard was used primarily to guide the monks over trails often obliterated by windblown snow. Today it is gaining popularity as a show competitor and family companion. See dog.

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Saint Bernard

Breed of rescue dog that saved about 2,500 people over 300 years of service at a hospice in Great St. Bernard pass in the Pennine Alps. Probably descended from mastiff-like dogs, it was brought to the hospice in the late 17th century. A powerful dog with a massive head and drooping ears, it stands at least 25 in. (65 cm) and weighs 110–200 lbs (50–90 kg). Its dense coat is red-brown and white or brindle and white and may be short or medium-long. The long-haired variety was produced by crosses with the Newfoundland in the early 19th century.

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Saint Bernard

a large breed of dog with a dense red-and-white coat, formerly used as a rescue dog in mountainous areas

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Saint Bernard 

a breed of watchdogs that make popular pets. First bred in the 13th—14th centuries in the Swiss Alps, Saint Bernards were derived from Asian mastiff-like dogs which were brought into Europe and crossed with local dogs. The breed was named after the St. Bernard Hospice in Switzerland, which used the dogs in searching for people who had been trapped by avalanches or lost in the mountains during snowstorms.

Saint Bernards are large, standing 80–95 cm high at the shoulder. The head is wide and massive. There are both longhaired and shorthaired Saint Bernards. The dogs are white with red markings. Saint Bernards are raised by amateur dog breeders in Europe and Asia; the breed is rare in the USSR.