ALTAR OF ST. PAUL
The eastern apse (exedra) houses the altar of St. Paul,
which is designated with the hexameter:
Hic pauli dignos magni celebramus honores
Here we celebrate the honors worthy of
the great St. Paul
It has been argued that St. Paul was given this prominent
position in the Church of St. Gall because he was the
patron saint of an earlier church torn down in 830 to make
room for Abbot Gozbert's new building. This contention
has no base in fact. In the entire historical tradition of the
Abbey of St. Gall there is no source that would attest the
existence of a sanctuary dedicated to St. Paul.[70]