The Abbey Library of Saint Gall

The abbey of Saint Gall grew from the cell of an Irish monk in the seventh century into one of the great centres of learning in medieval Europe, and its library, rebuilt in the eighteenth century, is the finest baroque hall of its kind: a long room of warm carved walnut galleries, inlaid floors and a ceiling painted with scenes of the councils of the church, glowing under stucco and gold. It holds a collection built over more than a thousand years, tens of thousands of volumes and some two thousand manuscripts, among them Irish books from the abbey's earliest days and the famous ninth-century plan of Saint Gall, the oldest surviving architectural drawing of its kind in Europe. Visitors shuffle through in grey felt overshoes to protect the parquet, which adds a certain hush to a room that already demands one. The abbey precinct and its cathedral are listed together as World Heritage.

History

Saint Othmar, founder of the Abbey of Saint Gall, founded the library, and when fire swept the abbey in 937 the books came through intact. The present hall was built in the Rococo style to designs by Peter Thumb between 1758 and 1767, and the Greek inscription over its door, healing place for the soul, follows one said to have stood over the library of Ramesses II. The abbey was one of the most important cultural centres in Europe from the 8th century until its secularisation in 1805, and in 1983 the library and the abbey became a World Heritage Site (Wikipedia, Abbey library of Saint Gall).

What you'll find

• The baroque hall - the carved walnut galleries, painted ceiling and inlaid floor.
• The manuscripts - rotating displays of medieval books from the abbey collection.
• The Plan of Saint Gall - the ninth-century monastery plan, a unique survival.
• The abbey cathedral - the vast baroque church beside the library in the same precinct.

When to go

Open year-round, and being indoors it suits any weather; winter afternoons are especially atmospheric. It closes on some days and for occasional events, so check the hours before travelling. Displays of manuscripts rotate through the year, so the exhibition changes.

Practical notes

It is one room, magnificent but small, so a visit is measured in an hour or two rather than a day; the ticket also covers the exhibition rooms and the vaulted cellar, which fill it out. Photography inside the hall is not allowed, which frustrates many visitors. The felt overshoes are compulsory and comically slippery on the polished floor. St Gallen itself is a pleasant but modest provincial city.

Nearby

Lake Constance and Appenzell's hill country are close; Zurich is about an hour by train.

Key facts