Convent of St. Gall, St. Gallen 
The Convent of St Gall, in the eastern Swiss city of St. Gallen, is considered a perfect example of a great Carolingian monastery. It was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983.
From the 8th century to its secularization in 1805, this Benedictine monastery was one of the most important in Europe. The convent library (Stiftsbibliothek) is deservedly world-famous: it is one of the richest and oldest in the world and contains 130,000 books, including precious manuscripts such as the earliest-known architectural plan drawn on parchment.
History
In 612, the lrish monk Gallus — a follower of St. Columba — withdrew into the valley of Steinach to live as a hermit. According to various legends, as Gallus was travelling south from the Bodensee into the forest he either fell over, or stumbled into a briar patch, or told a bear to fetch some firewood and it obeyed. Whichever it was, Gallus saw it as a sign from God and built his hermitage there.
In 747, the abbot Otmar established a community of Benedictine monks around Gallus' hermitage, and also founded a school of scribes and translators.
Abbot Gotzbert established the monastery's great library in the 830s, and the abbey of St. Gall became one of the most renowned centers of Western culture and science during the 9th and 10th centuries.
Only the foundations and some elements of architecture remain to remind one of what was once the splendor of the Carolingian monastery. It has been reconstructed several times. The current abbey church (now a cathedral), was completed in 1767 after just 12 years of construction.
The cathedral and the library are the main features of this remarkable architectural complex, reflecting 12 centuries of continuous activity. The bishop still lives next door. St. Gallen's cathedral is huge and fully Baroque, and its great towers can be seen from throughout the city. The interior is white and brightly lit, with three aisles and a central cupola. Thanks to its fine architecture it looks higher and longer than it is, drawing your eye up the massive pillars to the frescoes on the ceiling (virtually all the work of Josef Wannenmacher).
The convent's library contains some 130,000 volumes, including manuscripts dating back to the 8th through the 15th centuries (several of the Renaissance manuscripts have well-preserved illustrations). The library hall is built in a rococo style, with stucco art and ceiling paintings. A plan of the St. Gallen Abbey from the year 830 is displayed under glass.
| Date: | 1767 |
| Address: | Klosterhof, St. Gallen, Switzerland |
| Phone: | 071/227-34-88 (Library: 071/227-34-16) |
| Hours: | Daily 9am-7pm |
| Cost: | Cathedral and convent are free;
Library: 7F adults, 5F students and seniors, free for children 15 and under |
- Convent of St Gall - UNESCO World Heritage List
- Stiftsbezirk - Bistum St. Gallen
- Darwin Porter, Frommer's Switzerland, 12th ed. (2006).
More Information
- Photos of the Convent of St. Gall - Leonard Frank
