St Gallen

One of Ireland’s most significant medieval manuscripts survives in the Abbey Library of St Gallen in Switzerland, as Bernard Meehan elucidates


St Gallen
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Heritage
Manuscripts Antiques and Antiquities

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The Gospel Book of St Gall is a key witness to the activities of Irish missionaries in early medieval Europe. Written and illuminated by Irish monks in c. 750, it contains the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and has twelve fully decorated pages. The origins of the monastic centre of St Gallen, which houses the book, go back to the exploits of the Irish missionary Columbanus (c. 540–615), who left Bangor, Co Down, around the year 590 and founded monastic houses at Annegray, Luxeuil and Fontaines in France and Bobbio in northern Italy. He had companions, a traditional twelve in number: Gall (c. 550–c. 645) was probably among them.

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