Description of the attraction
The Abbey of St. Gallen has a long and fascinating history. During the Middle Ages, the city as such did not yet exist - there was the Abbey of St. Gall. Later, residential quarters began to appear around the monastery, and a city was formed, which received the name St. Gallen. The monastery was one of the largest Benedictine monasteries in Europe. In 1983, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the commentary "a perfect example of a large monastery of the Carolingian era."
The abbey is in honor of its founder, Saint Gall, a disciple of Saint Columban. The monastery was founded in 613. At the time when Otmar was the abbot, an art school arose in the monastery. Manuscripts written by St. Gallen monks (most of whom came from Britain and Ireland) were highly regarded throughout Europe.
During the reign of Abbot Waldo of Reichenau, a library was founded, which is considered to this day one of the richest in Europe. It contains numerous (about 160 thousand) medieval manuscripts
Since the 10th century, there has been a political rivalry between the monastery of St. Gall and the cloister of Reichenau. By the 13th century, disputes were settled in favor of St. Gallen, and his abbots were recognized as independent sovereigns of the Holy Roman Empire. Later, the cultural and political significance of the monastery gradually declined, and in 1712 the Swiss army entered the abbey, forcibly taking with them most of the monastery's treasures. In 1755-1768. the buildings of the abbey were destroyed and in their place were built new buildings and temples in the Baroque style.
