Irish Monks and Ancient Manuscripts
St. Gall UNESCO World Heritage Site: Irish Monks and Ancient Manuscripts
Winter in Switzerland is a time of sledding, skiing, and long walks in the snow, but it is also a time for reflection, tradition and holiday rituals. There is one place in Switzerland where my family has returned to year after year – a place of legend, history, and tradition which has become a tradition for us: The UNESCO World Heritage Site in St. Gall.
This November we visited St. Gall on a Saturday, walking around the old city, taking note of the medieval and baroque age architecture, especially the Erker, or oriel windows. We also visited the landmark of St. Gall: The Abbey of St. Gall Library, Cathedral and College, which have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983. We have done this every year since we moved to Frauenfeld from St. Gall in 1997.
St. Gall, located in northeastern Switzerland, was founded by the Irish monk Gallus in 612 AD. As the legend goes, this monk travelled to the area and fell into a thorn bush next to the Steinach River next to a spectacular waterfall. Gallus interpreted this as a sign from God to stay and build a hermitage on this spot, which he did. A monk community formed and in 747 a Benedictine abbey was established by Gallus’ successor Othmar; a school for monks and an archive followed. By the 10th century a thriving church state, headed by the Abbot of St. Gall, was flourishing. In 1415 AD, the city of St. Gall won its independence from the abbey, yet the city and abbey have remained closely associated to this day.
The cathedral complex consists of an impressive baroque cathedral (the Dom), the Abbey Archives (the Stiftsbibliothek), the Flade school, the abbot’s home, and the monk residences. These buildings form a quadrangle surrounding a large common area known as the Gallus Platz (Gallus Place). This area is home to the St. Gall Christkindli Markt, a Christmas market consisting of 80 vendor stands open during the holiday season. If you visit the market make sure you enjoy the St. Gallen Biberli, a traditional St. Gall confection made of honey dough filled with almond paste. Traditionally the St. Gall Biberli is adorned with a bear, which commemorates a legend about Gallus and a bear. Young children might like to hear something about this legend; read more here: St. Gallus and the bear
This year we entered the 18th-century cathedral and, at the request of our children, we took a tour (in German), which enabled us to enter the crypt and reliquary area housing the remains of the saints Gallus and Othmar, dating back to the 9th century. The fact that this spot has been a place of ritual and tradition for more than 1400 years continues to fascinate my children, even though we return here every year. The cathedral’s embellished stucco baroque interior, adorned with biblical frescoes, is a place of beauty and reflection. I would suggest you linger within the cathedral and note the dominant church organ upstairs as well.
Following the tour of the church, we entered the Rococo-style Abbey Archive Hall, the oldest currently operating library in the Occident! I can’t say how many times we have visited this amazing library. It is one of my youngest son’s favorite places in Switzerland – understandably, because he is learning to be a book dealer/publisher. The oldest German book, the book of Abrogans, is located in the collection, as are over 160,000 books such as a first edition of Parcival, and the Nibelungenlied, along with 2100 handwritten manuscripts, many of which were written before 1000 AD! Children who might be too young to appreciate this collection can still have fun wearing the special felt slippers donned before entering the room and will certainly enjoy viewing the mummy Schepenesce and his sarcophogus located in the collection. There is a small gift shop, which as you might guess contains mainly books. If you have time, walk through the many halls and see if you can enter the school area known as “The Flade.” This traditional cantonal boys’ secondary school was originally used to educate monks; it has an excellent reputation in Switzerland as a performance-oriented school that emphasizes living together in mutual respect.
The St. Gall Cathedral is open to the public unless there is a service. Entry is free.
The Abbey Archive and Baroque Hall are open from Monday to Saturday from 10:00 until 17:00. Admission is SFr. 12 for adults, SFr. 9 for students.
View their website for information about how to get there and special exhibits.
In case you have the time and interest, you may attend a concert in the Cathedral. Information about dates and times are given at this website.
When you leave the Cathedral you should walk across the street to the Mühleggbahn Station, a cogwheel train leading from the old city up to the area of St. Georgen. According to legend, this is where Gallus fell into the thorn bush next to the river and experienced the sign from God. On this trip we stopped at the site and contemplated Gallus and the abbey. The kids remarked that the river is merely a creek, not a river. And furthermore, that the waterfall is “rather unspectacular,” not exactly what they would expect for a site that led to the development of one of the most significant places of learning and culture in the medieval world, still thriving after 1400 years and a UNESCO world heritage site! We began talking about the possible significance of unspectacular things in general, and that kept us busy until we reached home by train 45 minutes later. We always end up discussing ideas like this one on our winter trips to the abbey; last year sacrifice and determination were themes. I think this is why we continue to visit and tour this site of legends, history and tradition – we cherish this chance to step out of our less contemplative modern world.
By Dr Teresa Bingham Müller
Teresa is an earth scientist and instructor by education and an avid traveler and adventurer by nature. She has three boys ages 32, 19 and 16.
Photos by Daniel Müller
