[5] Placing himself under the direction of Peter, the Archdeacon of Aosta, under whose guidance he rapidly progressed, Bernard was ordained a priest and worked as a missionary in the mountain villages.

Later, on account of his learning and virtue, he was appointed to succeed his mentor as archdeacon of the cathedral, giving him charge of the government of the diocese, directly under the bishop.

For their convenience and protection, Bernard founded a canonry and hostel at the highest point of the pass, 8,000 feet above sea-level, at the site which has come to bear his name.

A few years later he established another hostel on the Little St Bernard Pass, a mountain saddle in the Graian Alps, 7,076 feet above sea-level.

[8] These hostels were renowned for the generous hospitality extended to all travellers over the Great and Little St Bernard, so called in honour of the founder of these charitable institutions.

As of 2012 the congregation consisted of around 35 professed members, the majority of whom live at the hostel while some provide pastoral care to neighbouring parishes.

[9] Although venerated from the 11th century in such places of northern Italy as Aosta, Novara and Brescia, Bernard was not formally recognized as a saint until his canonization by Pope Innocent XI in 1681.