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Until the 16th Century, the rights to taxes and customs on the Simplon Pass trade were held by the Bishop of Sion, who granted these rights as a fief to his supporters. The weekly market was revived again in 1572. Starting in the 15th Century, tailors, shoemakers and porters/carriers joined together in fraternities and guilds.
Brig originally belonged to the large parish of Naters until 1642 when it became part of the parish of Glis. Brig became its own parish in 1957 and built a parish church in 1967-70. In 1624-27, the Jesuits established a branch in the town. Between 1662-1773 and again in 1814-47, they ran a college in the town. The college was built in 1663-73 followed by the college church in 1673-87. Between 1773-1814 the college was administrated by the Piarists. Since 1848 it was operated by the Canton of Valais, and until 1990 the rector was a lay priest. The first Capuchin monastery was built in 1650-60, but the existing monastery is from 1947-48. An Ursuline convent was founded in 1661 with a girls' school and the Ursuline Church dates from 1732. Since 1937 it has been the mission house (and sometimes a seminary) the Mariannhill Missionaries. The Anthony hospital was established in 1304. The gothichospital church was built in the 14th century and the first hospital religious order was founded in 1399. It was later passed to the community, and served the town until 1908. The citizenry built the Sebastian Chapel in 1636-37 and restored it in 1972-73. In 1951, Karl Schmid built the Wehrmann chapel.
The construction of the new road over the Simplon Pass in 1801-05, the expansion of the old road between 1949�60 and the construction of a national highway starting in 1960, have allowed increasing traffic through Brig. In 1890-1905 stagecoaches transported 152,816 persons to Domodossola over the pass. In 1906 the first car drove over the Simplon. Since 1919, postal buses have run over the pass into Brig. This service expanded from seasonal
