THE HOSPICE OF ST. BERNARD BURIED IN SNOW.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2471, 12 May 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE HOSPICE OF ST. BERNARD BURIED IN SNOW.

A telegram from Geneva announces that two avalanches have fallen on the famous Hospice of St. Bernard, and the church has been almost entirely buried in snow. The Hospice of St. Bernard, in the Pennine Alps, is situated at the sum mit of the Great St. Bernard Pass from Switzerland into Italy. It is said to be the highest inhabited building in Europe, the exact elevation above sea-level being 8,120 ft. It stands on the edge of a small lake, which for nine months in the year is frozen ; and the temperature even in summer is often exceedingly cold. In winter 20 to 2S degrees below zero is a common state of the thermometer. The Hospice owes its existence to Bernard De Menthon, a nobleman of Savoy, who erected it in the year 962 for the assistance of pilgrims journeying from the northern countries of Europe to Rome. About twenty Augustinian monks now live there spending their time in lodging and attending to visitors, in religious services, the supplying of their own wants, and the rescue of wayfarers lost in the snow. Travellers of all nationalities who visit the Hospice are boarded and lodged gratuitously, but are expected to deposit the cost of their entertainment in the poorbox on leaving. The St. Bernard dogs, who assist to find and extricate travellers buried in the snow, are famous all over the world, although the original breed is said to be extinct. In the Middle Ages the monastery was very wealthy, and Emperors and Kings recognised the services rendered to humanity by " the pious monks of St. Bernard" by gifts and grants ; now, however, the small revenues of the Hospice are chiefly derived from collections made in Switzerland, and to a much less degree from oll'erings of visitors. The buildings, which have suffered so grievously from the dangerous avalanches now common in the mountainous parts of Europe, consist of two blocks, one containing a dining-room, a library, a church the rooms of the brethren, and spacious accommodation for travellers ; the other, called the Hotel de St. Louis, being a refuge in case of fire, a storehouse, and a lodging for the poorer wayfarers. Themain building dates from the middle of the sixteenth century. The church, which is reported to be entirely buried in snow, was built so long ago as 16S0. As one of the chief Alpine passes, the Great St. Bernard has been the scene of many stirring events of history ; during the Napoleonic wars French soldiers were quartered in the Ilospice for more than a year. The monks usually live for fifteen years in the cold and solitude of their mountain dwelling, and are said to suffer severely in health from the severity of the climate.