At just under 2,500 meters above sea level, the Great Saint Bernard connects the Rhone Valley with the Italian Aosta Valley and Piedmont. The hospice on the Great Saint Bernard at an altitude of 2469 m was founded in the 11th century to provide shelter for travelers and pilgrims. From the middle of the 17th century, the monks kept large mountain dogs there as guards and companions. They are known under the name of St. Bernard dogs.