Page 167 - Demo

This postcard depicts a Saint Bernard named Jupiter, and refers to him as %u201cthe old guard.%u201d Interestingly, there is a connection between the St. Bernard dog breed and the Roman god. It involves what is now known as the Great St. Bernard Pass, which runs through the Alps, connecting Switzerland and Italy. In the year 1049, a hospice was founded there and dedicated to St. Nicholas by Bernard of Menthon, archdeacon of Aosta. It was staffed by monks, and located at the highest point of the road, straddling the pass. The facility was later named the Great St. Bernard Hospice, and a hospice continues in operation there today. The hospice eventually became famous for its use of St. Bernard dogs in rescue operations. The dogs were probably first kept there around 1660, and they eventually rescued about 2,000 people in the area. The pass actually has a history dating back to at least 57 BC, when Caesar used it during the Gallic Wars. In subsequent years, the Roman Emperors Augustus and Claudius made improvements to the route and transformed it into an imperial road. At that time, a small temple in honor of Jupiter was built on top of the pass. Which may have inspired an individual to name their St. Bernard dog Jupiter. Of course, the monks would likely not have named one of their dogs after a heathen god.