History, Culture and Religion
Abbey of St. Gall

Art Guide "St Gall Cathedral and Abbey Library"

The Cathedral of St. Gall was built in 1755-1770 as the church of the Benedictine Abbey, which was dissolved in 1805. This abbey, built in the 8th century on the site of the hermitage of St. Gallus, was one of the most important monasteries of the Occident in the early and high Middle Ages.

Even today, the monastery archives and library preserve invaluable written testimonies from that time. The baroque monastery complex testifies to the prosperity of the prince abbey in the 17th and 18th centuries. The church, like the neighboring abbey library, was built according to the plans of Peter Thumb and furnished by the best southern German artists of the time. It is the monumental end point in the long series of baroque monastery churches realized by Vorarlberg master builders. The monastery district of St. Gall is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

To the documents

Target group

adult education

Details

Document type: publications

Medium: offline

Language(s): German, French, English

Publisher / Partner: Society for Swiss Art History (GSK)

Authors: Josef Grünenfelder

Year of publication: 2023