Sankt Gallen, also Saint-Gall, town in northeastern Switzerland, capital of Sankt Gallen Canton, near Bodensee. It is a commercial center with some manufacturing, including the production of textiles, clothing, and metal products. Of interest in the town are old abbey buildings, a fine baroque cathedral (18th century), a library with medieval manuscripts, and several museums. The community grew around a hermitage established by the Irish missionary Saint Gall in the early 7th century. In the early 8th century the hermitage became a Benedictine abbey, which was subsequently noted as an educational center. The town was ruled until the mid-15th century by the abbots, who became princes of the Holy Roman Empire in the early 13th century. In 1803 the town and the abbot's territory were combined to form the canton of Sankt Gallen. Population (1998) 69,747.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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