Picture: Jpvoutaz · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Bernard of Menthon
French priest and saint
SaintResearchedDocumented cause
Feast: 15 June (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
923
verified
Died
1008
verified
Beatified
—
not on record
Canonised
1681
by Pope Innocent XI
Who they were
Bernard, of a rich noble family in Savoy, refused a marriage his father arranged and gave himself to the Church. He became Archdeacon of Aosta in 966 and for forty-two years preached the Gospel through the Alps and Lombardy.
To protect pilgrims crossing the dangerous Alpine pass to Rome, he founded a monastery and hospice at its highest point: the Great St Bernard. He died at Novara in 1008.
The miracles
The Catholic Encyclopedia does not describe the miracles approved in the cause.
Why that counted as sanctity
A missionary of the Alps who built a refuge for travellers in the snow.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Bernard of Menthon
- Wikidata Q736265 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Bernard of Menthon (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.