Catholic Tourist

Monastery · Switzerland

Great St Bernard Hospice and Church

Bourg-Saint-Pierre, Valais, Switzerland

Alpine PilgrimageCanons RegularHistoric HospiceLiving ChurchMonasteryPilgrim StaySt. Bernard of MenthonYear-Round HospitalityActive Catholic hospice, church, and religious community of the Canons Regular of the Great St Bernard, with current official pilgrim hospitality

Why pilgrims come

A sacred place worth the journey.

A living Catholic hospice and church at 2,472 meters on the Great St Bernard Pass, founded around 1050 by St. Bernard of Menthon to shelter travelers crossing the Alps. The Canons Regular continue the tradition of prayer, communal meals, and year-round hospitality.

TraditionCatholic

The pilgrim’s guide

What makes this visit meaningful

Cross the threshold of a Catholic house created to keep strangers alive in the Alps. The canons still join Eucharist, prayer, table, and practical shelter in one vocation, making an overnight stay the fullest way to encounter the hospice.

01

Nearly a millennium of welcome

Meet a living continuation of Bernard’s work for travelers crossing the pass.

02

Eucharist, prayer, and table

Let the canons’ common life shape the stay rather than treating the hospice as lodging alone.

03

A pilgrimage conditioned by the Alps

Approach with humility: season, snow, altitude, and avalanche conditions determine what is possible.

Overnight stay available

The canons welcome pilgrims and travelers year-round in rooms and shared dormitories, with communal meals and an invitation to prayer; advance booking and seasonal access planning are essential.

Accommodation details ↗

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