Videos
Abducted documents
Animated film about an episode in the history of the archives
During the Reformation (1531), the Abbey Archives of St Gall were plundered. Many of the stolen documents ended up in the possession of St Gall mayor and reformer Joachim von Watt, known as Vadian. It was not until a hundred years later that Prince-Abbot Pius Reher succeeded in buying back a large proportion of the documents for his monastery.
Abbey of St Gall, UNESCO World Heritage
Together with the Abbey Library and the Abbey Archives, the striking cathedral forms an impressive historical ensemble. Find out what the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the «Abbey of St. Gall» is all about in the easy-to-understand explanatory video.
More about the Swiss UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Miracle of Transmission
Since the early Middle Ages, the monastery of St Gall secured its
economic and political success with the help of charters. The archivists
of St Gall went their own way in preserving these important legal
documents – and thus laid the foundation for a miracle of transmission.
The film is part of the permanent exhibition The Miracle of Transmission – The Plan of St Gall and Europe in the Early Middle Ages which opened in the Exhibition Space in 2019.
English subtitles are available.
The Abbey Plan of St Gall
Drawn in the Reichenau Monastery around 825, the Abbey Plan of St Gall is the oldest and most important architectural drawing of the Middle Ages and an inexhaustible source for the Early Middle Ages. It served as a model and inspiration for many later monastery buildings. Discover it for yourself! The original of the Abbey Plan of St Gall has been on display in the Exhibition Space since 2019 as part of the exhibition The Miracle of Transmission – The Plan of St Gall and Europe in the Early Middle Ages.
English subtitles are available.
St Gall and the Irish mission
The film deals with the pilgrimage of Gallus and the founding of the first cell in St Gall. As the Western Roman Empire falls apart, Celtic traditions and Christian life mingle seamlessly. An early monastic culture emerges. Some of the monks choose the barren island life. Others leave home to proclaim the praise of God. One of them is Saint Gallus. Over the sea he reaches the European mainland together with his teacher Kolumban. The monks take on all kinds of hardships to spread the Christian religion. When Gallus falls ill with a severe fever, he is left behind at his own request. After his recovery he retreats to the wild Steinachtal, where he meets a bear at night. At the same place he founds the first cell.
The film is part of the permanent exhibition Gallus and his Abbey – 1400 years of cultural history which opened in the Vaulted Cellar in 2019.
English subtitles are available.