Stiftsbezirk, Religious architectural complex in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
The Stiftsbezirk is a religious complex in St. Gallen that houses a cathedral, abbey, and library in connected buildings arranged in three wings. The structures were built between 1674 and 1758 in baroque style and contain over 170,000 books and manuscripts spanning many centuries.
The abbey was founded in the 7th century and became a major center of learning across Europe. In 1805 it transitioned from an active monastery to administrative offices as the region's political situation changed.
The name reflects the religious foundation that shaped life here for centuries, and visitors can still see how the buildings were organized to support monastic daily routines. The structure reveals how monks divided their time between prayer, study, and work through the layout of different spaces.
The complex is open to visitors daily except on Sundays, with guided tours available in multiple languages throughout the week. Plan to spend a few hours here to properly explore the cathedral, abbey, and library collections without feeling rushed.
The library holds the most famous architectural drawing from the Middle Ages, a detailed monastery plan from the 9th century preserved on parchment. This plan reveals what monks thought their ideal community layout should look like in extraordinary detail.
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