Switzerland - St. Gallen Church

St. Gallen (Shown is the Abbey of Saint Gall)
Barock-Kathedrale (Baroque Cathedral)
erbaut 1755-1767, Innenrenovation 1962-1967
(Built in 1755-1767, 1962-1967 interior renovation)
2013

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The Abbey of Saint Gall (German: Fürstabtei St. Gallen) is a Roman Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland.

Around 613 an Irish monk named Gallus established a hermitage on the site that would become the Abbey. He lived there until his death in 646.

Following Gallus' death, Charles Martel appointed Othmar as custodian of St Gall's relics. During the reign of Pepin the Short, in the 8th century, Othmar founded the Carolingian style Abbey of St. Gall, where arts, letters and sciences flourished. Several different dates are given for the foundation of the Abbey, including 719, 720, 747 and the middle of the 8th century. Under Abbot Waldo of Reichenau (740–814) copying of manuscripts was undertaken and a famous library was gathered.

 The library at the Abbey is one of the richest medieval libraries in the world. Since 1983 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
(see a postcard of the library below the stamps...)