History comes alive on voyage of discovery to St. Gallen
Switzerland is home to eleven UNESCO World Heritage sites, and
a visit to St. Gallen is always worth a visit. Here you can explore the abbey district, where the Baroque
cathedral and the Stiftsbibliothek were nominated for World Heritage status
back in 1983. Some of the world renowned treasures to be discovered there date
back to the eighth century.
After visiting the town tourist office in Bahnhofplatz http://www.st.gallen-bodensee.ch/en/, head for the cathedral entrance
(5-10 minutes’ walk from station). Although the present day baroque building
dates back to the mid eighteenth century, its roots dated back to 612, when the
Irish monk Gallus arrived in the valley, tripped over a thorn bush and came
face to face with a bear. He saw the hand of God in this encounter and founded
a hermitage on the site; the later Benedictine abbey dedicated to St. Olmar,
founded in 747, enjoyed intellectual fame throughout Europe during the ninth to
eleventh centuries. St. Gallen became a centre of knowledge and the monks owned
much of the land in this part of the town. However, after the 11th century they
struggled to live.
During the Middle Ages, St. Gallen became famous for its textile industry, and workrooms in the monastery were used for embroidery which later became world-famous. A Gothic church was built on the site, but after the Reformation in the 16th century, it became Protestant, under the local influence of Luther, Zwingli and Vadian. The current cathedral church is the fourth church built on the site, dating back to 1755-57. The monks returned after the Counter-Reformation and the church became rich again. The interior of the church is decorated in the ornate baroque style, which was restored to its former glory as recently as 1968. Unusually, there are two organs and sixteen confessional boxes made from walnut wood, and the high altar has been moved nearer to the congregation. The visitor might not realise that the "marble" side altars are actually painted plaster. The city of St. Gallen nowadays is peaceably half Catholic and half Protestant, and the church still owns much of the surrounding land and elegant buildings. Concerts are held there every summer.
After exploring and taking in the atmosphere of the cathedral building walk
round to the 18th century abbey library or Stiftsbibliothek,
where a statue of Gallus and the bear greets you in the entrance. Security in
this World Heritage site is relatively high and you will be asked to leave your
possessions in a locker and to put on rather chic slippers over your shoes, so
as not to damage the beautiful wooden floors. The parquet is inlaid with stars
in dark and light wood and the frescoed ceiling is breathtaking. Look out for
some of the library's best known and oldest treasures, including eighth to
twelfth century parchments, a ninth century psalter with one of the first
recorded musical notations, illuminated manuscripts and a number of ancient
bibles written in Latin. The library card catalogues are hidden in wooden
panels around the room and there is an upper gallery where scholars worked. You
can’t miss the famous new globe of the world, the original of which had been
looted by invaders from Zürich, and a new copy costing one million francs has
only recently been inaugurated. You will be intrigued by the Egyptian mummy
dating from 700 BC and its sarcophagus, unwanted gifts which were donated to
the library in 1824.
After that pleasant dip into St. Gallen's fascinating history, you might care to wander through the beautiful medieval old town admiring the painted facades of the old buildings, the ornate inn and shop signs and the projecting oriel windows. Why not book a table at the cosy Café Gschwend, where coffee and delicious cakes are served, before taking your leave of the city.
After visiting the town tourist office in Bahnhofplatz http://www.st.gallen-bodensee.ch/en/, head for the cathedral entrance
(5-10 minutes’ walk from station). Although the present day baroque building
dates back to the mid eighteenth century, its roots dated back to 612, when the
Irish monk Gallus arrived in the valley, tripped over a thorn bush and came
face to face with a bear. He saw the hand of God in this encounter and founded
a hermitage on the site; the later Benedictine abbey dedicated to St. Olmar,
founded in 747, enjoyed intellectual fame throughout Europe during the ninth to
eleventh centuries. St. Gallen became a centre of knowledge and the monks owned
much of the land in this part of the town. However, after the 11th century they
struggled to live.During the Middle Ages, St. Gallen became famous for its textile industry, and workrooms in the monastery were used for embroidery which later became world-famous. A Gothic church was built on the site, but after the Reformation in the 16th century, it became Protestant, under the local influence of Luther, Zwingli and Vadian. The current cathedral church is the fourth church built on the site, dating back to 1755-57. The monks returned after the Counter-Reformation and the church became rich again. The interior of the church is decorated in the ornate baroque style, which was restored to its former glory as recently as 1968. Unusually, there are two organs and sixteen confessional boxes made from walnut wood, and the high altar has been moved nearer to the congregation. The visitor might not realise that the "marble" side altars are actually painted plaster. The city of St. Gallen nowadays is peaceably half Catholic and half Protestant, and the church still owns much of the surrounding land and elegant buildings. Concerts are held there every summer.
After exploring and taking in the atmosphere of the cathedral building walk
round to the 18th century abbey library or Stiftsbibliothek,
where a statue of Gallus and the bear greets you in the entrance. Security in
this World Heritage site is relatively high and you will be asked to leave your
possessions in a locker and to put on rather chic slippers over your shoes, so
as not to damage the beautiful wooden floors. The parquet is inlaid with stars
in dark and light wood and the frescoed ceiling is breathtaking. Look out for
some of the library's best known and oldest treasures, including eighth to
twelfth century parchments, a ninth century psalter with one of the first
recorded musical notations, illuminated manuscripts and a number of ancient
bibles written in Latin. The library card catalogues are hidden in wooden
panels around the room and there is an upper gallery where scholars worked. You
can’t miss the famous new globe of the world, the original of which had been
looted by invaders from Zürich, and a new copy costing one million francs has
only recently been inaugurated. You will be intrigued by the Egyptian mummy
dating from 700 BC and its sarcophagus, unwanted gifts which were donated to
the library in 1824.
After that pleasant dip into St. Gallen's fascinating history, you might care to wander through the beautiful medieval old town admiring the painted facades of the old buildings, the ornate inn and shop signs and the projecting oriel windows. Why not book a table at the cosy Café Gschwend, where coffee and delicious cakes are served, before taking your leave of the city.
Learn more about the Swiss World Heritage Sites at Swiss UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Julia Newton, 1 September 2011. Amended April 2016.
