Abbey library of Saint Gall
The Abbey Library of St. Gallen was founded by irish monk St. Gallus in 612.
It is the oldest library in Switzerland, and one of earliest and most important monastic libraries in the world. It holds 2,100 manuscripts dating back to the 8th through the 15th centuries, 1,650 incunabulums (printed before 1500), and old-printed books. The library holds almost 160,000 volumes. The library books are available for public use, but the books printed before 1900 must be read in the Reading Room. The library hall is built in a rococo style.
In 1983 the library together with the Abbey of St. Gall were included into the World Heritage Site.
It was created a virtual library with purpose to provide access to the manuscripts — Codices Electronici Sangallenses. Actually 174 manuscripts were preserved in digital wersion.
See also
External links
"Abbey of St. Gall" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia.- Stiftsbibliothek Sankt Gallen
- Codices Electronici Sangallenses — project for the digitisation of the medieval manuscripts at St. Gallen
