StGallen asv2022-10 Blick von StLaurenzen img3

The Abbey of Saint Gall () is a dissolved

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...

(747–1805) in a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. The Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by

Saint Othmar Othmar, (also ''Audomar'', 689 – 759) was a Medieval monk and priest. He served as the first abbot of the Abbey of St. Gall, a Benedictine monastery near where the city of St. Gallen, now in Switzerland, developed. Life Othmar was of Alema ...

on the spot where

Saint Gall Gall (; 550 645) according to hagiographic tradition was a disciple and one of the traditional twelve companions of Columbanus on his mission from Ireland to the continent. However, he may have originally come from the border region betwe ...

had erected his hermitage. It became an independent

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

between 9th and 13th centuries, and was for many centuries one of the chief

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

abbeys in Europe. The library of the Abbey is one of the oldest monastic libraries in the world. The city of St. Gallen originated as an adjoining settlement of the abbey. The abbey was secularized around 1800, and in 1848 its former church became St. Gallen Cathedral, the seat of the Diocese of Saint Gallen. Since 1983 the abbey precinct has been a UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

History

Foundation

Around 612 Gallus, according to tradition an

Irish monk The Hiberno-Scottish mission was a series of expeditions in the 6th and 7th centuries by Gaelic missionaries originating from Ireland that spread Celtic Christianity in Scotland, Wales, England and Merovingian lands. Catholic Christianity spread ...

and disciple and companion of Saint

Columbanus Saint Columbanus (; 543 – 23 November 615) was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries after 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil Abbey in present-day France and Bobbio Abbey in presen ...

, established a hermitage on the site that would become the monastery. He lived in his cell until his death in 646, and was buried there in

Arbon Arbon is a historic town and a municipality and district capital of the district of Arbon in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. Arbon is located on the southern shore of Lake Constance, on a railway line between Konstanz/Romanshorn and ...

(Canton of Thurgau). Afterwards, the people venerated him as a saint and prayed at his tomb for his

intercession Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of prayer, praying on behalf of others, or Intercession of saints, asking a saint in heaven to pray on behalf of oneself or for others. The Apostle Paul's exhortation to Saint Timothy, Timothy speci ...

in times of danger. Following Gallus' death, his disciples remained living together in his cell and followed the rule of St. Columban, which combined prayer, work of the hands, reading, and teaching. They aided and taught virtue to the many pilgrims who came to St. Gall's tomb. St. Magnus was the first successor of St. Gallen, but he soon left on a mission to

Allgäu The Allgäu (Standard ) is a region in Swabia in southern Germany. It covers the south of Bavarian Swabia, southeastern Baden-Württemberg, and parts of Austria. The region stretches from the pre-alpine lands up to the Alps. The main rivers flo ...

, Swabia. His successors were the deacon Stephen and the priest Magulfe, under whom the news of St. Gallen's miracles spread throughout most of Germany. Several different dates are given for the foundation of the monastery, including 719, 720, 747 and the middle of the 8th century. A gentleman and judge of Thurgau, Waltraf (possibly, Waltram or Gaudran), in order to use the alms and collections that were being given at St. Gall's tomb to found a more regular monastery, attracted a local Alemannic pastor Otmar. Waltraf went to see

Charles Martel Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...

, gave him the property of the hermitage, and asked him to give the administration of it to Otmar. Charles agreed and sent Otmar the finances to build a monastery. After the death of Charles Martel, his son Pepin continued to support them. On the recommendation of his brother Carloman, who had visited this monastery on his way to Italy, Pepin gave the monastery privileges, letters of protection, and an assured income. Pepin placed the

rule of St. Benedict The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'' () is a book of precepts written in Latin by Benedict of Nursia, St. Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480–550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up ...

in the hands of St. Otmar (to be substituted for that of St. Columban). Otmar (or Othmar) is named as the founder and the first abbot of the Abbey of St. Gall. During his abbacy the St. Gall School was founded. Otmar extended St. Gall's original hermit cell and adopted the Carolingian style for his building projects. The abbey grew quickly; many

Alemanni The Alemanni or Alamanni were a confederation of Germanic peoples, Germanic tribes * * * on the Upper Rhine River during the first millennium. First mentioned by Cassius Dio in the context of the campaign of Roman emperor Caracalla of 213 CE ...

c noblemen entered to become monks and arts, letters and sciences flourished. The register of monastic professions, at the end of abbot Otmar's rule makes mentions of 53 names. Two monks of the Abbey of St Gall,

Magnus of Füssen Magnus of Füssen, otherwise Magnoald or Mang, was a missionary saint in southern Germany, also known as the Apostle of the Allgäu. He is believed to have been a contemporary either of Gall (died 627) or of Boniface (died 754) and is venerated as ...

and Theodor, founded the monasteries in

Kempten Kempten (; ) is the largest town of Allgäu, in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. The population was about 68,000 in 2016. The area was possibly settled originally by Celts, but was later taken over by the Romans, who called the town ''Cambodunum''. K ...

and

Füssen Füssen () is a Town#Germany, town in Bavaria, Germany, in the district of Ostallgäu, situated one kilometre from the Austrian border. The town is known for violin manufacturing and as the closest transportation hub for the Neuschwanstein and Sc ...

in the

. With the growth in the number of monks the abbey also grew economically stronger. Much land in

Thurgau Thurgau (; ; ; ), anglicized as Thurgovia, and formally as the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts. Its capital is Frauenfeld. Thurgau is part of Eastern Switzerland. I ...

, Zürichgau and in the rest of Alemannia as far as the

Neckar The Neckar () is a river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the Rhine. Rising in the Schwarzwald-Baar ...

was donated to the abbey by means of ''

Stift The term (; ) is derived from the verb (to donate) and originally meant 'a donation'. Such donations usually comprised earning assets, originally landed estates with serfs defraying dues (originally often in kind) or with vassal tenants of noble ...

ungen''. Under abbot

Waldo of Reichenau Waldo of Reichenau (sometimes Walto) (c. 740 - 814, Paris) was an abbot and Carolingian official. Life Waldo belonged to a noble Frankish family from Wetterau. His father was Richbold Count of Breisgau and his older brother was Rupert Baron von ...

(740–814) copying of manuscripts was undertaken and a famous library was gathered. Numerous

Anglo-Saxon The Anglo-Saxons, in some contexts simply called Saxons or the English, were a Cultural identity, cultural group who spoke Old English and inhabited much of what is now England and south-eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. They traced t ...

and Irish monks came to copy manuscripts. At

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

's request Pope

Adrian I Pope Adrian I (; 700 – 25 December 795) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 772 until his death on 25 December 795. Descended from a family of the military aristocracy of Rome known as ''domini de via Lata'', ...

sent distinguished cantors from Rome, who instructed the monks in the use of the

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...

. In 744, the Alemannic nobleman Beata sold several properties to the abbey in order to finance his journey to Rome.

Golden Age

In the subsequent century, St. Gall came into conflict with the nearby

Bishopric of Constance The Prince-Bishopric of Constance () was a small Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from the mid-12th century until its German Mediatisation, secularisation in 1802–1803. In his dual capacity as prince and as bisho ...

which had recently acquired jurisdiction over the

Abbey of Reichenau Reichenau Abbey was a Benedictine monastery on Reichenau Island (known in Latin as Augia Dives) in southern Germany. It was founded in 724 by the itinerant Saint Pirmin, who is said to have fled Visigothic Spain ahead of the Moorish invaders, w ...

Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...

. It was not until Emperor

Louis the Pious Louis the Pious (; ; ; 16 April 778 – 20 June 840), also called the Fair and the Debonaire, was King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, co-emperor with his father, Charlemagne, from 813. He was also King of Aquitaine from 781. As the only ...

(ruled 814–840) confirmed in 813 the

imperial immediacy In the Holy Roman Empire, imperial immediacy ( or ) was the status of an individual or a territory which was defined as 'immediate' () to Emperor and Empire () and not to any other intermediate authorities, while one that did not possess that stat ...

(''Reichsunmittelbarkeit'') of the abbey, that this conflict ceased. The abbey became an Imperial Abbey (''Reichsabtei''). King

Louis the German Louis the German (German language, German: ''Ludwig der Deutsche''; c. 806/810 – 28 August 876), also known as Louis II of Germany (German language, German: ''Ludwig II. von Deutschland''), was the first king of East Francia, and ruled from 8 ...

confirmed in 833 the immunity of the abbey and allowed the monks the free choice of their abbot. In 854 finally, the Abbey of St Gall reached its full autonomy by King Louis the German releasing the abbey from the obligation to pay tithes to the Bishop of Constance. From this time until the 10th century, the abbey flourished. It was home to several famous scholars, including

Notker of Liège Notker (or Notger) of Liège (; c. 940 – 10 April 1008 AD) was a Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monk, bishop (972–1008) and first prince-Bishop, prince-bishop (980–1008) of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège, Bishopric of Liège (now in ...

Notker the Stammerer Notker the Stammerer ( – 6 April 912), Notker Balbulus, or simply Notker, was a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Saint Gall active as a composer, poet and scholar. Described as "a significant figure in the Western Church", Notker made subst ...

Notker Labeo Notker Labeo ( – 28 June 1022), also known as Notker the German () or Notker III, was a Benedictine monk active as a scholar and teacher. He was the first commentator on Aristotle active in the Middle Ages and translated the works of earlier L ...

Tuotilo Tuotilo or Tutilo Benedictines, OSB (died 915) was a Frankish monk at the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Gall. He was a composer, and according to Ekkehard IV a century later, also a poet, musician, painter and sculptor. Various Trope (music), trope ...

and Hartker (who developed the

antiphonal An antiphonary or antiphonal is one of the liturgical books intended for use (i.e. in the liturgical choir), and originally characterized, as its name implies, by the assignment to it principally of the antiphons used in various parts of the L ...

liturgical books for the abbey). During the 9th century a new, larger church was built and the library was expanded. Manuscripts on a wide variety of topics were purchased by the abbey and copies were made. Over 400 manuscripts from this time have survived and are still in the library today.

Silver Age

Between 924 and 933 the Magyars threatened the abbey and the books had to be removed to

Reichenau Reichenau may refer to: *Reichenau Island, a German island in Lake Constance **Reichenau Abbey, a former Benedictine monastery on the island **Reichenau, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality that encompasses the namesake island and five separate area ...

for safety. Not all the books were returned. On 26 April 937 a fire broke out and destroyed much of the abbey and the adjoining settlement, though the library was undamaged. About 954 they started to protect the monastery and buildings by a surrounding wall. Around 971/974 abbot Notker (about whom almost nothing is known; nephew of

Notker Physicus Notker Physicus ( – 12 November 975) was a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Saint Gall, active as a physician, painter, composer and poet. He is best known for his medical prowess, and may have been physician to the Holy Roman Emperors Otto I a ...

) finalized the walling and the adjoining settlements started to become the town of St Gall. In 1006, the abbey was the northernmost place where a sighting of the 1006 supernova was recorded. The death of abbot Ulrich II on 9 December 1076 terminated the cultural silver age of the monastery.

Under the Prince-Abbots

In 1207, abbot Ulrich von Saxwas raised to the rank of Prince (''Reichsfürst'', or simply ''Fürst'') of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

by King Philip of Germany. The abbey became a Princely Abbey (''Reichsabtei''). As the abbey became more involved in local politics, it entered a period of decline. The city of St. Gallen proper progressively freed itself from the rule of the abbot, acquiring

Imperial immediacy In the Holy Roman Empire, imperial immediacy ( or ) was the status of an individual or a territory which was defined as 'immediate' () to Emperor and Empire () and not to any other intermediate authorities, while one that did not possess that stat ...

, and by the late 15th century was recognized as a Free imperial city. By about 1353 the

guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular territory. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradespeople belonging to a professional association. They so ...

s, headed by the cloth-weavers guild, gained control of the civic government. In 1415 the city bought its liberty from the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

king

King Sigismund Sigismund of Luxembourg (15 February 1368 – 9 December 1437) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1433 until his death in 1437. He was elected King of Germany (King of the Romans) in 1410, and was also King of Bohemia from 1419, as well as prince-elect ...

. During the 14th century

Humanists Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" has ...

were allowed to carry off some of the rare texts from the abbey library. In the late 14th and early 15th centuries, the farmers of the abbot's personal estates (known as ''

Appenzell Appenzell () was a cantons of Switzerland, canton in the northeast of Switzerland, and entirely surrounded by the canton of St. Gallen, in existence from 1403 to 1597. Appenzell became independent of the Abbey of Saint Gall in 1403 and entered ...

'', from meaning "cell (i.e. estate) of the abbot") began seeking independence. In 1401, the first of the

Appenzell Wars The Appenzell Wars () were a series of conflicts that lasted from 1401 until 1429 in the Appenzell region of modern-day Switzerland. The wars consisted of uprisings of cooperative groups, such as the farmers of Appenzell or the craftsmen of the c ...

broke out, and following the Appenzell victory at Stoss in 1405 they became allies of the Swiss Confederation in 1411. During the Appenzell Wars, the town of St. Gallen often sided with Appenzell against the abbey. So when Appenzell allied with the Swiss, the town of St. Gallen followed just a few months later. The abbot became an ally of several members of the Swiss Confederation (

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Lucerne Lucerne ( ) or Luzern ()Other languages: ; ; ; . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking portion of the country. Lucerne is the capital of the canton of Lucerne and part of the Lucerne (district), di ...

Schwyz Schwyz (; ; ) is a town and the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the ''Bundesbriefmuseum''. The of ...

and

Glarus Glarus (; ; ; ; ) is the capital of the canton of Glarus in Switzerland. Since 1 January 2011, the municipality of Glarus incorporates the former municipalities of Ennenda, Netstal and Riedern.Ulrich Rösch, bought the County of Toggenburg from the representatives of its counts, after the family died out in 1436. In 1487 he built a monastery at Rorschach on

, to which he planned to move. However, he encountered stiff resistance from the St. Gallen citizenry, other clerics, and the Appenzell nobility in the Rhine Valley who were concerned about their holdings. The town of St. Gallen wanted to restrict the increase of power in the abbey and simultaneously increase the power of the town. The mayor of St. Gallen,

Ulrich Varnbüler St. Gallen is a Switzerland, Swiss List of cities in Switzerland, city and the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of St. Gallen, St. Gallen. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Tod ...

, established contact with farmers and

residents (led by the fanatical

Hermann Schwendiner Hermann or Herrmann may refer to: * Hermann (name), list of people with this name * Arminius, chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe in the 1st century, known as Hermann in the German language * Éditions Hermann, French publisher * Hermann, Mis ...

) who were seeking an opportunity to weaken the abbot. Initially, he protested to the abbot and the representatives of the four sponsoring Confederate cantons (Zürich, Lucerne, Schwyz, and Glarus) against the construction of the new abbey in Rorschach. Then on July 28, 1489, he had armed troops from St. Gallen and Appenzell destroy the buildings already under construction. When the abbot complained to the Confederates about the damages and demanded full compensation, Varnbüler responded with a counter suit and in cooperation with Schwendiner rejected the arbitration efforts of the non-partisan Confederates. He motivated the clerics from Wil to Rorschach to discard their loyalty to the abbey and spoke against the abbey at the town meeting at Waldkirch, where the popular league was formed. He was confident that the four sponsoring cantons would not intervene with force, due to the prevailing tensions between the Confederation and the

Swabian League The Swabian League () was a military alliance of Imperial State, imperial estates – Free imperial city, imperial cities, prelates, principalities and knights – principally in the territory of the early Middle Ages, medieval stem duchy of S ...

. He was strengthened in his resolve by the fact that the people of St. Gallen elected him again to the highest magistrate in 1490.

An associate of the Swiss Confederation

However, in early 1490 the four cantons decided to carry out their duty to the abbey and to invade the St. Gallen canton with an armed force. The people of Appenzell and the local clerics submitted to this force without noteworthy resistance, while the city of St. Gallen braced for a fight to the finish. However, when they learned that their compatriots had given up the fight, they lost confidence; the result was that they concluded a peace pact that greatly restricted the city's powers and burdened the city with serious penalties and reparations payments. Varnbüler and Schwendiner fled to the court of King Maximilian and lost all their property in St. Gallen and Appenzell. However, the abbot's reliance on the Swiss to support him reduced his position almost to that of a "subject district". The town adopted the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

in 1524, while the abbey remained Catholic, which damaged relations between the town and abbey. Both the abbot and a representative of the town were admitted to the Swiss

Tagsatzung The Federal Diet of Switzerland (, ; ; ) was the legislative and executive council of the Old Swiss Confederacy and existed in various forms from the beginnings of Swiss independence until the formation of the Swiss federal state in 1848. T ...

or Diet as the closest associates of the Confederation. In the 16th century the abbey was raided by

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

groups, which scattered many of the old books. In 1530, abbot Diethelm began a restoration that stopped the decline and led to an expansion of the schools and library. StGallen asv2022-10 Stiftskirche img1

Under abbot

Pius Reher Pius Reher (born 1597 in Aulendorf, Blönried as Simon; died 9 December 1654) was abbot of the benedictine monastery of Saint Gall and prince-abbot of the Abbey of Saint Gall, Princely Abbey of Saint Gall from 1630 until 1654. Life Pius Reher ...

(1630–54) a printing press was started. In 1712 during the Toggenburg war, also called the second war of Villmergen, the Abbey of St. Gall was pillaged by the

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

. They took most of the books and manuscripts to

and

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

. For security, the abbey was forced to request the protection of the townspeople of St. Gallen. Until 1457 the townspeople had been

serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed dur ...

of the abbey, but they had grown in power until they were protecting the abbey.

End of the Prince-Abbots

Following the disturbances, the abbey was still the largest religious city-state in Switzerland, with over 77,000 inhabitants. A final attempt to expand the abbey resulted in the demolition of most of the medieval monastery. The new structures, including the cathedral by architect Peter Thumb (1681–1766), were designed in the late

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style and constructed between 1755 and 1768. The large and ornate new abbey did not remain a monastery for very long. In 1798 the Prince-Abbot's secular power (the last to hold the title was Pankraz Vorster) was suppressed, and the abbey was

secularized In sociology, secularization () is a multilayered concept that generally denotes "a transition from a religious to a more worldly level." There are many types of secularization and most do not lead to atheism or irreligion, nor are they automatica ...

. The monks were driven out and moved into other abbeys. The abbey became a separate See in 1846, with the abbey church as its cathedral and a portion of the monastic buildings for the

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Cultural treasures

The

Abbey library of Saint Gall The Abbey library of St Gall () is a significant medieval monastic library located in St. Gallen, Switzerland. In 1983, the library, as well as the Abbey of St Gall, were designated a World Heritage Site, as "an outstanding example of a large Caro ...

is recognized as one of the richest medieval libraries in the world. It is home to one of the most comprehensive collections of early medieval books in the German-speaking part of Europe. , the library consists of over 160,000 books, of which 2100 are handwritten. Nearly half of the handwritten books are from the Middle Ages and 400 are over 1000 years old. Lately the ''Stiftsbibliothek'' has launched a project for the digitisation of the priceless manuscript collection, which currently (December 2009) contains 355 documents that are available on the ''Codices Electronici Sangallenses'' webpage. The library interior is exquisitely realised in the

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

style with carved polished wood, stucco and paint used to achieve its overall effect. It was designed by the architect

Peter Thumb Peter Thumb (18 December 1681 – 4 March 1766) was an Austrian architect and master builder whose family came from Bezau, Vorarlberg, in the westernmost part of Austria. He was active in Baden, the Black Forest, Alsace, Upper Swabia, on and a ...

and is open to the public. In addition it holds exhibitions as well as concerts and other events. One of the more interesting documents in the Stiftsbibliothek is a copy of

Priscian Priscianus Caesariensis (), commonly known as Priscian ( or ), was a Latin grammarian and the author of the ''Institutes of Grammar'', which was the standard textbook for the study of Latin during the Middle Ages. It also provided the raw materia ...

's ''Institutiones grammaticae'' which contains the poem '' Is acher in gaíth in-nocht...'' written in

Old Irish Old Irish, also called Old Gaelic (, Ogham, Ogham script: ᚌᚑᚔᚇᚓᚂᚉ; ; ; or ), is the oldest form of the Goidelic languages, Goidelic/Gaelic language for which there are extensive written texts. It was used from 600 to 900. The ...

. The library also preserves a unique 9th-century document, known as the

Plan of St. Gall The Plan of Saint Gall is a medieval architectural drawing of a Christian monasticism, monastic compound dating from 820–830 AD. It depicts an entire Order of Saint Benedict, Benedictine monastic compound, including Church (building), church, ...

, the only surviving major architectural drawing from the roughly 700-year period between the

fall of the Western Roman Empire The fall of the Western Roman Empire, also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome, was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vast ...

and the 13th century. The Plan drawn sometime between AD 820–830 AD was never actually built, and was so named because it was dedicated to the then-abbot of Saint Gall and kept at the famous medieval monastery library, where it remains to this day. The plan was an ideal of what a well-designed and well-supplied monastery should have, as envisioned by one of the synods held at

Aachen Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants. Aachen is locat ...

for the reform of monasticism in the Frankish empire during the early years of emperor

(between 814 and 817). A late 9th-century drawing of

Paul Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo ...

lecturing an agitated crowd of Jews and gentiles, part of a copy of a

Pauline epistles The Pauline epistles, also known as Epistles of Paul or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen books of the New Testament attributed to Paul the Apostle, although the authorship of some is in dispute. Among these epistles are some of the earliest ext ...

produced at and still held by the monastery, was included in a medieval-drawing show at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

the summer of 2009. A reviewer noted that the artist had "a special talent for depicting hair, ... with the saint's beard ending in curling droplets of ink." St. Gall is noted for its early use of the

neume A neume (; sometimes spelled neum) is the basic element of Western and some Eastern systems of musical notation prior to the invention of five-line staff (music), staff notation. The earliest neumes were inflective marks that indicated the gener ...

, the basic element of Western and Eastern systems of

musical notation Musical notation is any system used to visually represent music. Systems of notation generally represent the elements of a piece of music that are considered important for its performance in the context of a given musical tradition. The proce ...

prior to the invention of five-line staff notation. The earliest extant manuscripts are from the 9th or 10th century. In 1983, the Convent of St. Gall was inscribed on the UNESCO

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

as "a perfect example of a great

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...

monastery".

People of the abbey

List of abbots

There were a total of 73 ruling abbots (including six anti-abbots) between 719 and 1805. A complete collection of abbots' biographies was published by Henggeler (1929). A table of abbots' names complete with their coats of arms was printed by Beat Jakob Anton Hiltensperger in 1778.Henggeler, P. Rudolf, ''Professbuch der fürstl. Benediktinerabtei der Heiligen Gallus und Otmar zu St.Gallen'', Monasticon-Benedictinum Helvetiae 1, Einsiedeln (1929)
History of the Abbey
. See also ; . *

Othmar Othmar, also spelled Otmar or Ottmar, is a masculine German given name, derived from the Germanic name ''Audamar'', from the elements ''aud'' "wealth, prosperity" and ''mar'' "fame". Notable people with the name include: * Saint Othmar, medieval ...

(719–759) *

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

(759/60–782) * Ratpert (782) *

Waldo Waldo may refer to: People and fictional characters * Waldo (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Waldo (surname), a list of people * Waldo (footballer), Brazilian footballer Waldo Machado da Silva (1934–20 ...

(782–784) * Werdo (784–812) * Wolfleoz (812–816) * Gozbert (816–837) Expanded the buildings, started collecting books for the library. * Bernwig (837–840/41) * Engilbert I (840/841) * Grimald (841–872) * Hartmut (872–883) *

Bernhard Bernhard is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar (1604–1639), Duke of Saxe-Weimar *Bernhard, Prince of Saxe-Meiningen (1901–1984), head of the House of Saxe-Meiningen 1946 ...

(883–890) *

Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...

(890–919), Abbot of 11 other monasteries and

Bishop of Constance The Prince-Bishopric of Constance () was a small ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire from the mid-12th century until its secularisation in 1802–1803. In his dual capacity as prince and as bishop, the prince-bishop also admini ...

. *

Hartmann Hartmann is a German surname. It is less frequently used as a male given name. The name originates from the Germanic word, "hart", which translates in English to "hardy", "hard", or "tough" and " Mann", a suffix meaning "man", "person", or "husband ...

(922–925) * Engilbert II (925–933) *

Thieto Thieto (6 April ? – after 942) was abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Gall from 933 to 942. Life The name Thieto appears many times both in the book of vows of Saint Gall and in the monks' registers of the books of fraternisation. Therefo ...

(933–942) *

Craloh Craloh (died 26 February 958) was abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Gall from 942 to 958. During his time in office, the first anti-abbot was elected. Life Craloh was the biological brother of his predecessor, Thieto, and was elected on 3 ...

(942–958) **

Anno Anno may refer to: People *Anno of Saint Gall (died 954), Anti-Abbot of St. Gall * Anno II (Archbishop of Cologne) ( 1010–1075), Archbishop of Cologne from 1056 to 1075 * Anno (surname) * Anno Birkin (1980–2001), English musician *Hideaki Ann ...

(953–954), anti-abbot *

Purchart I Purchart I (born c. 920/930; died 9 August 975) was the abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Saint Gall from 958 until 971. Life Purchart came from the family of the Udalrichings ( Udalrichinger). His father was probably count Ulrich V; his mother ...

(958–971) * Notker (971–975), nephew of

* Ymmo (976–984) * Ulrich I (984–990) *

Kerhart Kerhart (or Gerhart; died 22 May 1001) was abbot of the Abbey of Saint Gall from 990 to 1001. Life Before he was elected abbot, Kerhart is reported to have been the companion of his brother Kunibert, the former abbot of Niederaltaich Abbey, when ...

(990–1001) * Purchart II (1001–1022) * Thietpald (1022–1034) * Nortpert (1034–1072) * Ulrich II (1072–1076) *

Ulrich of Eppenstein Ulrich of Eppenstein (c. 1047?–1121) served between 1071 and his death as Abbot of the powerful Abbey of Saint Gall. Ulrich was prominent as a supporter of Emperor Henry IV during the civil wars that erupted out of the power struggles between t ...

(1077–1121) ** Lutold (1077–c. 1083), anti-abbot ** Werinhar (1083–1086), anti-abbot * Manegold von Mammern (1121–1133) ** Heinrich von Twiel (1121–1122), anti-abbot * Werinher (1133–1167) * Ulrich von Tegerfelden (1167–1199) * Ulrich von Veringen (1199–1200) * Heinrich von Klingen (1200–1204) * Ulrich von Sax (1204–1220) Lord of Hohensax and first Prince-Abbot * Rudolf von Güttingen (1220–1226) * Konrad von Bussnang (1226–1239) * Walter von Trauchburg (1239–1244) * Berchtold von Falkenstein (1244–1272) * Ulrich von Güttingen (1272–1277) ** Heinrich von Wartenberg (1272–1274), anti-abbot * Rumo von Ramstein (1277–1281) *

Wilhelm von Montfort Wilhelm I Count of Montfort (died 11 October 1301) was prince-abbot of Abbey of Saint Gall, Saint Gall from 1281 until 1301. Political situation at the end of the 13th century By the end of the abbacy of Berchtold von Falkenstein (died 10 June ...

(1281–1301) **

Konrad von Gundelfingen Konrad von Gundelfingen (born before 1266; died 1302) was prince-abbot of the Princely Abbey of Kempten from 1284 until 1302 (as ''Konrad III von Gundelfingen''). He was also anti-abbot of the Princely Abbey of Saint Gall from 1288 until 1291, ap ...

(1288–1291), anti-abbot sponsored by

Rudolf I of Germany Rudolf I (1 May 1218 – 15 July 1291) was the first King of Germany of the Habsburg dynasty from 1273 until his death. Rudolf's imperial election of 1273, election marked the end of the Interregnum (Holy Roman Empire), Great Interregnum whic ...

* Heinrich von Ramstein (1301–1318) * Hiltbold von Werstein (1318–1329) * Rudolf von Montfort (1330–1333) * Hermann von Bonstetten (1333–1360) * Georg von Wildenstein (1360–1379) * Kuno von Stoffeln (1379–1411) *

Heinrich von Gundelfingen Heinrich von Gundelfingen (born before 1383; died March 1429) was abbot of the Abbey of Saint Gall from 1411 to 1418 when he resigned. He was the grandfather of Heinrich von Gundelfingen. Life Heinrich descended from the same family as the form ...

(1411–1418) *

Konrad von Pegau Konrad is a German (English equivalent: Conrad or Coonrod) given name and surname that means "bold counselor" and may refer to: People Given name Surname * Alexander Konrad (1890–1940), Russian explorer *Antoine Konrad (born 1975), birth nam ...

(1418–1419) * Heinrich von Mansdorf (1419–1426) * Eglolf Blarer (1426–1442) * Kaspar von Breitenlandenberg (1442–1463) * Ulrich Rösch (1463–1491) Bought the county of Toggenburg. In 1487 he built a monastery at Rorschach. * Gotthard Giel von Glattburg (1491–1504) *

Franz von Gaisberg Franz von Gaisberg (1465 – 23 March 1529) was librarian from 1491 to and abbot of the Abbey of Saint Gall from 1504 to 1529. Life He was born in Konstanz. Franz von Gaisberg's father, Anton, first served the Austrians and then the French. His ...

(1504–1529) Abbot when the Reformation took place. *

Kilian Germann Kilian Germann (born at the end of 1485; died 30 August 1530 at the Bregenzer Ach) was prince abbot of the Abbey of Saint Gall from 1529 to 1530. Life Germann was the son of Johannes Germann, chief bailiff of Lütisburg, and the brother of Hans G ...

(1529–1530) Elected to prevent the Reformation from entering the Abbey. * Diethelm Blarer von Wartensee (1530–1564) Expanded the Abbey, known as the Third Founder due to his work on the Abbey. * Otmar Kunz (1564–1577) * Joachim Opser (1577–1594) * Bernhard Müller (1594–1630) *

(1630–1654) * Gallus Alt (1654–1687) *

Celestino Sfondrati Celestino Sfondrati (10 January 1644 – 4 September 1696) was an Italian Benedictine theologian, Prince-abbot of St. Gall and Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal. Life Sfondrati was born at Milan. At the age of twelve he was placed in the sch ...

(1687–1696) * Leodegar Bürgisser (1696–1717) * Joseph von Rudolphi (1717–1740) *

Cölestin Gugger von Staudach Cölestin II. Gugger von Staudach (or ''Coelestin'', born 28 June 1701 in Feldkirch as Michael Anton; died 24 February 1767 in Saint Gall) was from 23 March 1740 until his death prince abbot of the Abbey of Saint Gall. He is regarded as one of t ...

(1740–1767) * Beda Angehrn (1767–1796) * Pankraz Vorster (1796–1805)

Nuns

Wiborada Wiborada of St. Gall (also Guiborat, Weibrath or Viborata; Alemannic: ''Wiberat'') (died 926) was a member of the Swabian nobility in what is present-day Switzerland. She was an anchoress, Benedictine nun, and martyr. Biography There are two ...

(died 926). First woman formally canonized by the Catholic Church.

Notes and references

Walter William Horn's Papers Regarding The Plan of St. Gall : production materials, 1967–1979
are housed in th

a
Stanford University Libraries

External links

Stiftsbibliothek Sankt Gallen

—project for the digitisation of the medieval manuscripts at Sankt Gallen
E-codices
Virtual Manuscript Library of Switzerland
St Gall Plan
- presents a digitised version of the St Gall Plan, and zoomable reproductions of Carolingian manuscripts from St Gall.
UNESCO World Heritage Listing for the Convent of St Gall