St.Gallen celebrating its treasure

St.Gallen was one of Europe's key cultural centers in the early Middle Ages and its monastery was among the most important north of the Alps. Today, the Abbey Library still contains a unique collection of medieval manuscripts dating back to the 9th century. The Plan of St. Gall is the highlight of the collection. The only surviving ground plans from the Carolingian period were inscribed in 825 for Gozbert, the abbot of St. Gall, on the Monastic Island of Reichenau near the city of Konstanz. The Plan is regarded as a generic solution for the ideal monastery.

Parts of the manuscript collection have previously been displayed in the Baroque library hall. Now, the public will be given more extensive access. Commencing on 13 April, the exhibition “The miracle of transmission – The Plan of St Gall and Early Medieval Europe” focuses on the unique abundance of early medieval documents in St Gall. A new exhibition room is also opening on the monastery courtyard. St.Gallen will be celebrating this new exhibition with an open day encompassing the entire Abbey District. This will put the original monastery plan on display to the public for the first time.