In the period from VII to XVIII century St. Gallen itself was considered to be the Abbey. The founder is considered a monk by the name of Gaul, a native of Ireland. With 719, it was decided to begin the construction of the monastery itself.

The Abbey library of St. Gallen is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. It is a UNESCO world heritage site due to its unique interior and an incredible collection of rare books and manuscripts of the middle Ages.

When you enter you immediately see the inscription in Greek: "Pharmacy of the soul". Here visitors will be asked to change shoes or wear special Slippers, so as not to damage the inlaid wood floor. You can then enter the gym.

The Abbey library is located in a separate building next to the Cathedral. This building is made in a pompous Baroque style by the project of Peter Tambola. Rooms in which there are innumerable shelves of books, in the Rococo style. The ceiling is the largest of them decorated with frescoes with images of theologians on four Ecumenical councils.

In addition to the usual rooms, cluttered shelves, height from floor to ceiling, there is a special store, with plenty of rare documents and manuscripts, which are almost never placed on display. Photography is forbidden here.

The list of treasures of different cultures this library is truly amazing - there is a considerable number of Irish manuscripts, more than a dozen manuscripts belonging to the seventh or eighth century, including the Latin manuscript of the gospel of 750 years. There are also instances attributable to the era of BC.