Abbey of Saint Gall

Cathedral of St Gall
The Cathedral of Saint Gall
Kathedrale St. Gallen
View of the former abbey
Map
47°25′23″N 9°22′38″E / 47.42306°N 9.37722°E / 47.42306; 9.37722
LocationSt. Gallen
CountrySwitzerland
DenominationCatholic
WebsiteWebsite of the Cathedral
History
StatusActive
Founded8th century
Architecture
Functional statusCathedral
Heritage designationUNESCO World Heritage Site
StyleBaroque
Specifications
Number of domes1
Number of spires2
Spire height68 m (223 ft)[1]
Administration
DioceseRoman Catholic Diocese of Saint Gallen
Clergy
Bishop(s)Markus Büchel
CriteriaCultural: ii, iv
Reference268
Inscription1983 (7th Session)
Abbey Cathedral of St. Gall

The Abbey of Saint Gall (German: Abtei St. Gallen) is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex in the city of St. Gallen in Switzerland. The Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot where Saint Gall had erected his hermitage. It became an independent principality between 9th and 13th centuries, and was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. The library of the Abbey is one of the oldest monastic libraries in the world.[2]

The city of St. Gallen originated as an adjoining settlement of the abbey. The abbey was secularized around 1800, and in 1848 its former church became St. Gallen Cathedral, the seat of the Diocese of Saint Gallen. Since 1983 the abbey precinct has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  1. ^ "Federal Office of Culture". Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "Codices Electronici Sangallenses-Description". Archived from the original on 2017-07-02. Retrieved 2008-04-23.