Saint Bernard of Menthon Medal Necklace – Patron Saint of Mountaineers & Skiers

Saint Bernard of Menthon, Patron Saint of Mountaineers and Skiers

Bernard was born around 923 in the Kingdom of Italy to a noble family, and rather than take the life laid out for him, he became a priest and eventually archdeacon of Aosta. He spent the next forty-two years as a missionary throughout the Alps, and around 1050 he founded a hospice at one of the highest and most treacherous mountain passes in the region, a route so dangerous it had long been associated with local legend and disaster. The pass and the hospice both eventually took his name, and the rescue dogs bred and kept there to find travelers lost in the snow became known the world over as St. Bernards. Pope Pius XI formally confirmed him as patron of mountaineers, skiers, snowboarders, and backpackers in 1923, making him one of the few saints with a patronage this directly tied to modern outdoor sport. He is venerated in both the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. This medal is worn by men and women alike.

A Gift For...

• Mountaineers, climbers, and alpinists
• Skiers, snowboarders, and backcountry travelers
• Hikers and backpackers, especially at high altitude
• Search and rescue workers, ski patrol, and mountain guides
• Anyone planning a trip to the Alps
• A dog lover who already knows where the St. Bernard breed got its name

A Confirmation Gift for Bernard

Consider engraving "Guide me home" on the first line and the confirmation date on the second. Bernard suits a confirmand who finds God more easily outdoors than indoors, and who understands that real faith usually looks like showing up for someone else in bad weather.

The Saint Bernard of Menthon Medal

Saint Bernard of Menthon is shown half-length in archdeacon's vestments, holding a staff, with a mountain dog at his side, framed by a decorative border. The natural gold or silver of the metal forms the illustration itself. Black ink is applied to the pendant surface and the metal shows through as the image. A shatterproof liquid glass coating seals the surface. The result has a depth and precision that printed medals don't achieve.

Personalization and Engraving

The reverse can be engraved in Tangerine cursive, up to 2 lines of 20 characters each. Some ideas:

• "Guide me home" / a summit or peak name
• A mountain range or trail name / a climb date
• "Higher ground" / a dog's name
• "The Alps" / an anniversary of a first climb

Saint Bernard of Menthon's feast day is May 28. The hospice he founded still operates today at the pass that bears his name, and the St. Bernard dog breed, first bred there for mountain rescue, still carries his legacy in its name nearly a thousand years later.

Related Devotions for the Outdoors and the Ascent

• Patron Saints for Athletes & Sports: browse the full collection, including Bernard's fellow patron of skiers, mountaineers, and everyone who competes outdoors.
• Blessed Chiara Badano Medal: a modern athlete devoted to the mountains and the outdoors, for a contemporary counterpart to Bernard's own alpine calling.
• Saint Roch Medal: another saint remembered with a dog at his side, his a companion who kept him alive in isolation rather than a working rescue animal.
• Saint John Bosco Medal: a third saint tied to a dog, his the mysterious guardian Grigio, for a devotion built around a very different kind of canine protection than Bernard's own mountain rescue dogs.