Abbey Library
Sounds for the soul – Music in St Gall manuscripts
Summer Exhibition in the Baroque Hall of the Abbey Library of St Gall
29 April to 9 November 2025
Music moves people deeply. In the monastery, singing helps monks and nuns lift up their souls to God. The monophonic chants of plainsong seem perfectly suited for this. Outside the monasteries, however, music evolved in different ways. There was polyphonic singing, yodelling, and instrumental music-making. Were these developments threatening devotion or could they be integrated into monastic music? In the Abbey of St Gall, abbots and monks have continually wrestled to find the right answer to the question of what music may, and may not, do.
Flyer
Exhibition catalogue (German)
Opening hours
Monday to Sunday 10 am to 5 pm
From 1 August to 31 October 2025, the Baroque Hall of the Abbey Library will be open from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm.
Admission prices
CHF 18 | 16 | 12 | 10
Audio guide to the Abbey District and the old town
D | E | F | I CHF 5
Public guided tours
daily at 1 pm (in German)
Video