04-04-2025
Just Askin': Is the village of St. Bernard in Hamilton County named after the dog breed?
The Enquirer's Just Askin' series aims to answer the questions that no one seems to have an answer for, not even Google.
Statues of St. Bernard dogs are all over the Hamilton County village that shares a name with the breed.
They're in front of the fire department, schools and the local government building.
The village of St. Bernard was incorporated in 1878. Were the village's 300 residents back then that obsessed with dogs to name their community after them? (If so, we don't blame them, but it seems unprecedented.)
Question: Is the village of St. Bernard actually named after the dog breed?
Answer: No. But there is a connection!
The village's name is explained in the book "Fifty Years of Progress, 1878 St. Bernard, Ohio 1928" and a 1949 newspaper article, which the St. Bernard-Ludlow Grove Historical Society shared with The Enquirer.
Both sources point readers, first, to Switzerland. In 962, Bernard de Menthon, who became a Catholic saint, built two hospitals in the Alps.
Monks ran the hospitals and took care of travelers with the "most generous and kindly hospitality," the book reads. These hospitals became known as the Great and Little St. Bernard, in honor of their founder.
Now, early settlers of what would become St. Bernard, Ohio, saw the area's hills and its view overlooking the Mill Creek Valley. They were reminded of the Alps. The settlers thought of the Swiss monks' hospitality and compared it to the kindness of the early residents in the Ohio area.
So, they chose "St. Bernard" as the community's name!
Now, here's the dog connection. The monks bred dogs to rescue travelers lost in the mountains. This dog breed was later named − you guessed it − the St. Bernard.
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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How St. Bernard, Ohio, in Hamilton County got its name
