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Entrance doors to the Abbey Library of St Gall
Entrance doors to the Abbey Library of St Gall. Gre regiment, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Entrance doors to the Abbey Library of St Gall. Photo: Gre regiment, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abbey_library_of_Saint_Gall_entrance.jpg
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Abbey Library of St Gall

St. Gallen, Switzerland, 1758–67

Closed 9–23 Nov 2026

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The record

Worth knowing

  • Abbey Library of St Gall, worth knowing: From the 10th to the 16th century the books were kept in the Hartmut Tower, which came through several fires that raged through the abbey and the town.

    primarystiftsbezirk.ch
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    Abbey Library of St Gall, worth knowing: From the 10th to the 16th century the books were kept in the Hartmut Tower, which came through several fires that raged through the abbey and the town.
Source: https://stiftsbezirk.ch/en/stiftsbibliothek/history
Evidence tier: primary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/stgallen/#f-1ozu52d
    Dispute#

  • Abbey Library of St Gall, worth knowing: The abbey's oldest library catalogue, Cod. Sang. 728, dates from about 860 to 870 and is still kept in the library.

    primarystiftsbezirk.ch
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    Abbey Library of St Gall, worth knowing: The abbey's oldest library catalogue, Cod. Sang. 728, dates from about 860 to 870 and is still kept in the library.
Source: https://stiftsbezirk.ch/en/stiftsbibliothek/manuscripts
Evidence tier: primary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/stgallen/#f-0x9do90
    Dispute#

  • Abbey Library of St Gall, worth knowing: The library holds an Egyptian mummy, Shepenese, dated to the 7th century BC. It reached the library only after the abbey was dissolved.

    primarystiftsbezirk.ch
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    Abbey Library of St Gall, worth knowing: The library holds an Egyptian mummy, Shepenese, dated to the 7th century BC. It reached the library only after the abbey was dissolved.
Source: https://stiftsbezirk.ch/en/stiftsbibliothek/special-collections
Evidence tier: primary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/stgallen/#f-04lqu95
    Dispute#

Built

  • Abbey Library of St Gall, built: 1767 (replaced 1553 library building)

    primarystiftsbezirk.ch
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    Abbey Library of St Gall, built: 1767 (replaced 1553 library building)
Source: https://stiftsbezirk.ch/en/stiftsbibliothek/history
Evidence tier: primary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/stgallen/#f-1iu5zri
    Dispute#

  • Abbey Library of St Gall, built: 1758-1767

    wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
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    Abbey Library of St Gall, built: 1758-1767
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_library_of_Saint_Gall
Evidence tier: wikipedia
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/stgallen/#f-1s9exp5
    Dispute#

Architect

  • Abbey Library of St Gall, architect: Peter Thumb

    wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
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    Abbey Library of St Gall, architect: Peter Thumb
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_library_of_Saint_Gall
Evidence tier: wikipedia
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/stgallen/#f-00dspl3
    Dispute#

Volumes

  • Abbey Library of St Gall, volumes: more than 2100 manuscripts (primary); almost 160,000 volumes (wikipedia only)

    primarystiftsbezirk.ch
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    Abbey Library of St Gall, volumes: more than 2100 manuscripts (primary); almost 160,000 volumes (wikipedia only)
Source: https://stiftsbezirk.ch/en/stiftsbibliothek/manuscripts
Evidence tier: primary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/stgallen/#f-1qpvf3j
    Dispute#

Status today

  • Abbey Library of St Gall, status today: closed 9-23 Nov 2026 (and 24-25 Dec 2026, 26 Apr 2027)

    primarystiftsbezirk.ch
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    Abbey Library of St Gall, status today: closed 9-23 Nov 2026 (and 24-25 Dec 2026, 26 Apr 2027)
Source: https://stiftsbezirk.ch/de/oeffnungszeiten
Evidence tier: primary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/stgallen/#f-0e0fzap
    Dispute#

  • Abbey Library of St Gall, status today: UNESCO World Heritage 1983; Memory of the World 2017

    primarystiftsbezirk.ch
    Cite
    Abbey Library of St Gall, status today: UNESCO World Heritage 1983; Memory of the World 2017
Source: https://stiftsbezirk.ch/en/stiftsbibliothek/today
Evidence tier: primary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/stgallen/#f-008jcse
    Dispute#

What happened here

  1. 1553Abbey Library of St Gall, built, 1553: A building is put up in the west wing of the abbey specially for the library.

    primarystiftsbezirk.ch
    Cite
    Abbey Library of St Gall, built, 1553: A building is put up in the west wing of the abbey specially for the library.
Source: https://stiftsbezirk.ch/en/stiftsbibliothek/history
Evidence tier: primary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/stgallen/#e-0kixp7w
    Dispute#

  2. 1767Abbey Library of St Gall, built, 1767: Present building with Baroque Hall replaces 1553 library building

    primarystiftsbezirk.ch
    Cite
    Abbey Library of St Gall, built, 1767: Present building with Baroque Hall replaces 1553 library building
Source: https://stiftsbezirk.ch/en/stiftsbibliothek/history
Evidence tier: primary
Last checked: 2026-11-11
WorldLibs: https://worldlibs.pages.dev/libraries/stgallen/#e-0pkgtpz
    Dispute#

Photographs

The Baroque library hall of the Abbey Library of St Gall
The Baroque library hall of the Abbey Library of St Gall. Roy Egloff, CC BY-SA 4.0
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The Baroque library hall of the Abbey Library of St Gall. Photo: Roy Egloff, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CH.SG.St-Gallen_2023-11-15_Abbey-Library-of-Saint-Gall_3728_4x3-R_11K.jpg
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Display cases on the parquet floor of the library hall, Abbey Library of St Gall
Display cases on the parquet floor of the library hall, Abbey Library of St Gall. Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0
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Display cases on the parquet floor of the library hall, Abbey Library of St Gall. Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Library_hall_of_the_Stiftsbibliothek_St._Gallen,_20250502_1524_8642.jpg
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Rococo stucco frame and grisaille painting on the library ceiling, Abbey Library of St Gall
Rococo stucco frame and grisaille painting on the library ceiling, Abbey Library of St Gall. Joseph Wannenmacher, Public domain
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Rococo stucco frame and grisaille painting on the library ceiling, Abbey Library of St Gall. Photo: Joseph Wannenmacher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stiftsbibliothek_St._Gallen_-_Decke_-_Grisaillegem%C3%A4lde-.jpg
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Cathedral towers and facade of the Abbey of St Gall, St Gallen
Cathedral towers and facade of the Abbey of St Gall, St Gallen. Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0
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Cathedral towers and facade of the Abbey of St Gall, St Gallen. Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abbey_of_Saint_Gall,_St._Gallen_in_Switzerland,_20250502_1512_8632.jpg
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The cathedral and the abbey courtyard in the St Gallen abbey district
The cathedral and the abbey courtyard in the St Gallen abbey district. JoachimKohler-HB, CC BY-SA 4.0
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The cathedral and the abbey courtyard in the St Gallen abbey district. Photo: JoachimKohler-HB, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Klosterhof_mit_Stiftskirche_St._Gallen.jpg
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The cathedral towers and the abbey buildings, St Gallen
The cathedral towers and the abbey buildings, St Gallen. Rocky187, CC BY-SA 4.0
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The cathedral towers and the abbey buildings, St Gallen. Photo: Rocky187, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), via Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zeughausfl%C3%BCgel_mit_Kathedrale.jpg
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Books from this library

Sources