38. Helpful Monks
The Great Saint Bernard Pass has been used to cross the Alps for thousands of years. The Romans built a temple for Jupiter there, and in 1049, Saint Bernard of Menthon, patron saint of the Alps, built a hospice atop the temple’s ruins as a shelter for travelers. Monks maintained the hospice, took care of guests, and guided people through the pass. They also formed search and rescue teams for lost or injured travelers.
In the sixteenth or seventeenth century, the monks began training large farm dogs, descendants of mastiff-type Molossian hounds introduced to the region by the Romans, as rescue dogs. Those dogs were strong, had weather-resistant coats, and possessed a strong sense of smell. That made them well-suited to guide and rescue travelers. The dogs were accompanied by monks, who sometimes had flasks of brandy and shared them with travelers. That might have started the association between Saint Bernard Pass rescues and brandy, which eventually grew into the myth of dogs carrying kegs of brandy.