The St. Gallen Monastery of St. Catherine has had a turbulent history since it was founded in 1228. The founding document dates dates back to June 30, 1228. Its a late Gothic splendor, it’s beautiful and one of the oldest buildings in the city!
The history of the order goes back to the 13th and 14th centuries. The monastery was named after the martyr Catherine of Alexandria. Until 1266 St. Catherine was a monastery of the Augustinians, until in 1368 the resident nuns adopted the Dominican rule. The great fire on April 20, 1418 affected the monastery a lot. The last woman entering the monastery, Katharina von Watt, was a sister of the longtime Mayor and patron of the Reformation, Joachim von Watt, called Vadian. In 1527 the monastery became a victim of the Reformation: Then council servants commissioned by the authorities entered into the monastery church and destroyed the cult objects. In 1555 the last sisters left the St. Gallen monastery St.Catherine.
Today only the cloister and the church, have survived from the monastery complex. You can walk through the cloister and there is a library as well which you can visit. There is also a old church (of course) but unfortunately I was never inside because the opening times are very special… and I couldn’t find any information online… however, perhaps you are lucky and can visit it – please send me some pictures! 😉
Katharinengasse 11, 9000 St. Gallen
