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The Plan of St. Gall

a study of the architecture & economy of & life in a paradigmatic Carolingian monastery
Horn, Walter William
  
THE PLAN OF ST. GALL
  
[section]
  
[title page]
  
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
  
[dedication]
  
[frontispiece]
  
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  
FOREWORD
 I. 
CONTENTS: VOLUME I
  
SYNOPSIS OF THE WORK
  
ABBREVIATIONS
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PREFACE
  
THE PLAN AND ITS BUILDINGS: A PRELIMINARY ORIENTATION
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INDEX TO BUILDING NUMBERS OF PLAN
  
VERZEICHNIS DER GEBÄUDENUMMERN IM PLAN
  
INDEX TO PLAN: VERZEICHNIS ZUM PLAN: INDEX DU PLAN
  
[section]

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I
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I. 1
  
INTRODUCTION
 I.1.1. 
I.1.1
 I.1.2. 
I.1.2
 I.1.3. 
I.1.3
 I.1.4. 
I.1.4
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I.1.5
  
THE CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE SCALE OF THE PLAN
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I.1.6
  
OTHER MORE GENERAL WORKS & NEW CRITICAL EDITIONS
 I.1.7. 
I.1.7
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I. 2
 I.2.1. 
I.2.1
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I. 3
 I.3.1. 
I.3.1
 I.3.2. 
I.3.2
 I.3.3. 
I.3.3
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I. 4
 I.4.1. 
I.4.1
 I.4.2. 
I.4.2
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I. 5
 I.5.1. 
I.5.1
 I.5.2. 
I.5.2
 I.5.3. 
I.5.3
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I. 6
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I.6.1
  
ABSENCE OF UNDERDRAWING
  
ABSENCE OF GUIDING CONSTRUCTION LINES IN THE ALIGNMENT OF BUILDINGS
  
ABSENCE OF GUIDING UNDERDRAWING IN THE INTERNAL LAYOUT OF INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS
  
ABSENCE OF CENTER POINTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CIRCLES
  
ANGULAR DISTORTIONS CAUSED BY A SHIFT IN THE RELATIVE POSITION OF ORIGINAL AND OVERLAY
  
INCOMPATIBILITY BETWEEN THE FLUID EXECUTION OF THE DRAWING AND THE PRECISE DRAFTSMANSHIP REQUIRED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ORIGINAL SCHEME
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I. 7
 I.7.1. 
I.7.1
 I.7.2. 
I.7.2
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I.7.3
  
THE TRANSFER OF HOUSES FOR THE WORKMEN AND CRAFTSMEN FROM AN EXTRAMURAL TO AN INTRAMURAL LOCATION
  
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SEPARATE QUARTERS FOR VISITING MONKS
  
THE TRANSFER OF THE SCHOOL FOR LAYMEN AND SECULAR PRIESTS TO A LOCATION OUTSIDE THE CLAUSTRUM
 I.7.4. 
I.7.4
 I. 8. 
I. 8
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I. 9
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I.9.1
  
CONCEPTUAL AFFINITIES WITH COLOGNE CATHEDRAL
  
RELATIVE CHRONOLOGY
  
LIKELIHOOD OF HILDEBOLD'S INVOLVEMENT IN ORIGINAL SCHEME
  
AN ORNAMENTAL DETAIL SUGGESTING THE COURT SCHOOL AS THE CONCEPTUAL HOME OF THE PROTOTYPE PLAN
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I. 10
 I.10.1. 
I.10.1
 I.10.2. 
I.10.2
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I. 11
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I.11.1
  
REINHARDT, 1952
  
POESCHEL, 1957
  
REINLE, 1963-4
 I.11.2. 
I.11.2
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I. 12
 I.12.1. 
I.12.1
 I.12.2. 
I.12.2
 I.12.3. 
I.12.3
 I.12.4. 
I.12.4
 I.12.5. 
I.12.5
 I.12.6. 
I.12.6
 I.12.7. 
I.12.7
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I. 13
 I.13.1. 
I.13.1
 I.13.2. 
I.13.2
 I.13.3. 
I.13.3
 I.13.4. 
I.13.4
 I.13.5. 
I.13.5
 I.13.6. 
I.13.6
 I.13.7. 
I.13.7
 I.13.8. 
I.13.8
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I. 14
 I.14.1. 
I.14.1
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I.14.2
  
CONTRADICTORY TITLES NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL SCHEME
  
THE TITLES NOT THE DRAWING REFLECT THE INTENT OF THE ORIGINAL SCHEME
  
THE DRAWING NOT THE TITLES SHOULD BE TRUSTED
  
THE INCONSISTENCIES NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT BUT A CORRECTIVE MEASURE
  
CONFLICTING VIEWS ON SCALE OF THE PLAN
  
IMPROPER TEXTUAL EXEGESIS
  
ANACHRONISM IN MENSURATION
  
EARLY EXPRESSION OF THE VIEW THAT THE PLAN WAS DRAWN TO A CONSISTENT SCALE
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I.14.3
  
A WORD OF CAUTION
  
THE 2½-FOOT MODULE (STANDARD MODULE)
  
THE 40-FOOT MODULE (LARGE MODULE)
  
THE 160-FOOT MODULE (SUPER MODULE)
  
THE 1¼-FOOT MODULE (SUBMODULE)
 I.14.4. 
I.14.4
 I.14.5. 
I.14.5
 I.14.6. 
I.14.6
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I.14.7
  
THE CELLAR
  
SCRIPTORIUM & NORTHERN TRANSEPT ARM
  
THE MEDICINAL GARDEN
  
THE HOUSES FOR THE COWS AND THE FOALING MARES
 I.14.8. 
I.14.8
 I.14.9. 
I.14.9
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I. 15
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I.15.1
  
A UNION OF SCHEMATISM & REALISM
 I. 16. 
I. 16
 I. 17. 
I. 17
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II
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II. 1
  
INTRODUCTION
 II.1.1. 
II.1.1
 II.1.2. 
II.1.2
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II.1.3
  
CONNECTION WITH IRELAND?
  
CALL TOWERS OR FUNERARY LIGHT TOWERS?
  
BELL TOWERS OR TOWERS OF DEFENSE AND SURVEILLANCE?
  
THE EIGHT-LOBED ROSETTE: A STELLAR AND APOTROPAIC SYMBOL
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II.1.4
  
ALTAR OF ST. PETER
 II.1.5. 
II.1.5
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II.1.6
  
CHOIR OF ST. PETER
  
BAPTISMAL FONT AND ALTAR
  
ALTAR OF THE SAVIOR AT THE CROSS & THE PLACE OF WORSHIP FOR LAYMEN
  
AMBO
  
LECTERNS FOR READING
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II.1.7
  
THE CROSSING SQUARE AND ITS FURNISHINGS
  
SOUTHERN TRANSEPT ARM
  
NORTHERN TRANSEPT ARM
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II.1.8
  
HIGH ALTAR: ST. MARY AND ST. GALL
  
WALL BENCHES
  
TOMB OF ST. GALL AND ITS RELATION TO THE CRYPT
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II.1.9
  
ALTAR OF ST. PAUL
  
SYNTHRONON
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II.1.10
  
OUTER CRYPT
  
INNER CRYPT
 II.1.11. 
II.1.11
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II.1.12
  
LAYOUT
  
LOCATION
  
ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION
  
READING COLLECTION
  
MAIN LIBRARY
  
WRITING POSTURE AND VARIOUS CLASSES OF SCRIBES
  
METHOD OF CATALOGING AND SHELVING BOOKS
  
NUMBER OF SCRIBES & COLLABORATION
  
DAILY WORK SPAN
  
A NOBLE OR BACKBREAKING TASK?
 II.1.13. 
II.1.13
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II. 2
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II.2.1
  
MATERIAL AND WALL THICKNESS
  
ELEVATION
  
COLUMNS
  
CROSSING
  
CRYPT
  
WINDOWS
  
ROOF
  
ROOF COVERING
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II.2.2
  
GEORG DEHIO (1887) & JOSEPH HECHT (1924)
  
HANS REINHARDT (1937 and 1952)
  
ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF DEHIO'S INTERPRETATION
  
WOLFGANG SCHÖNE (1960)
  
ADOLF REINLE (1963-64)
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II. 3
 II.3.1. 
II.3.1
 II.3.2. 
II.3.2
 II.3.3. 
II.3.3
 II.3.4. 
II.3.4
 II.3.5. 
II.3.5
 II.3.6. 
II.3.6
 II.3.7. 
II.3.7
 II.3.8. 
II.3.8
 II.3.9. 
II.3.9
collapse sectionII.3.10. 
II.3.10
  
PRESENCE OR ABSENCE OF THE GRID OF SQUARES
  
MEDITERRANEAN OR NORTHERN ROOTS: A DIVISION OF MINDS
  
INCREASING PROPENSITY FOR MODULAR SPACE DIVISION IN PRE-CAROLINGIAN AND CAROLINGIAN ARCHITECTURE NORTH OF THE ALPS
  
NEW LITURGICAL NEEDS CONTRIBUTING TO MODULAR SPACE DIVISION
  
MODULAR SPACE DIVISION: AN INTRINSIC FEATURE OF PREHISTORIC, PROTOHISTORIC, AND MEDIEVAL WOOD CONSTRUCTION
  
MODULAR AREA DIVISION: AN INTRINSIC FEATURE IN THE LAYOUT AND DESIGN OF ILLUMINATED PAGES IN HIBERNO-SAXON AND CAROLINGIAN MANUSCRIPTS
  
MODULAR AREA DIVISION: AN INTELLECTUAL PRINCIPLE AFFECTING THE CONCEPTUAL ORGANIZATION IN THE RELATIONSHIP OF CHURCH AND STATE
  
SETBACK AND RE-EMERGENCE
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III
collapse sectionIII. 1. 
III. 1
 III.1.1. 
(III.1.1)
 III.1.2. 
III.1.2
 III.1.3. 
III.1.3
collapse sectionIII.1.4. 
III.1.4
  
DIMENSIONS
  
THE PUZZLE OF THE SAVIN PLANT
  
THE GALLERIED PORCHES
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III.1.5
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Dormitory
  
HOW THE MONKS ARE TO SLEEP
  
LAYOUT OF THE BEDS
  
FEARS OF THE VIGILANT ABBOT
  
ABSENCE OF STAIRS
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Warming room
  
METHOD OF HEATING
  
PURPOSE
  
RECONSTRUCTION
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III.1.6
  
LAYOUT
  
A STRANGE VISIT AT NIGHT: ITS SANITARY, MORAL, AND ARCHITECTURAL IMPLICATIONS
  
TIMES SET FORMALLY ASIDE FOR THE USE OF THE PRIVY
collapse sectionIII.1.7. 
III.1.7
  
CONCEPT OF CLEANLINESS & DIRECTIVES CONCERNING THE USE OF BATHS
  
NUMBER, LOCATIONS & LAYOUT OF FACILITIES FOR BATHING & WASHING
collapse sectionIII.1.8. 
III.1.8
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Refectory
  
TABLES AND BENCHES
  
READER'S PULPIT
  
CUPBOARDS
  
LACK OF FACILITIES FOR HEATING
  
LAYOUT OF TABLES AND BENCHES IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
  
NUMBER AND HOURS OF MEALS OF THE MONKS
  
THE MONKS' DIET
  
MONKS' BEHAVIOR DURING THE MEAL
  
THE READER
  
THE SERVERS
  
WHO IS ADMITTED BESIDE THE MONKS
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Vestiary
  
WHAT CLOTHES THE MONKS ARE TO WEAR
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III.1.9
  
LAYOUT AND FURNISHINGS
  
DESIGN OF COOKING RANGE
  
ARCHITECTURAL SHELL
  
KITCHEN UTENSILS
  
RULES GOVERNING WORK IN THE KITCHEN
collapse sectionIII.1.30. 
III.1.30
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Cellar
  
LAYOUT, DESIGN, AND DIMENSIONS OF CASKS
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THE BARRELS IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
  
An invention of the Celts
  
Egyptian & Greco-Roman methods of storing wine
  
The barrel: constructional & viticultural advantages
  
The oldest extant barrel and the earliest visual representations
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THE MEASURE OF WINE AND BEER ALLOWED TO THE MONKS
  
Conflicting views among the early fathers
  
No difference in alcoholic content between ancient and modern wines
  
The hemina of St. Benedict: Charlemagne's attempts to establish its value
  
The Carolingian inflation of capacity measures
  
The probable daily allowance of wine at the time The Plan of St. Gall was drawn
  
ARE THE BARRELS DRAWN TO SCALE AND SCALED TO NEED?
  
CONCLUSION
  
LACK OF FACILITIES FOR THE PRESSING OF GRAPES
  
Larder
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III.1.11
  
ITS DUAL ROLE: CONVERSATION WITH VISITORS & WASHING OF FEET
  
MANDATUM FRATRUM AND MANDATUM HOSPITUM
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III. 2
 III.2.1. 
III.2.1
 III.2.2. 
III.2.2
collapse sectionIII.2.3. 
III.2.3
  
LAYOUT OF THE CLOISTER
  
NOVICES AND THEIR SUPERVISORS
  
DIET AND CLOTHING
collapse sectionIII.2.4. 
III.2.4
  
LAYOUT OF THE CLOISTER
  
CARE OF THE SICK: THEIR DIETARY PREROGATIVES
  
ADMISSION TO INFIRMARY
 III.2.5. 
III.2.5
collapse sectionIII.2.6. 
III.2.6
  
ITS CLASSICISM
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ROMAN IMPERIAL PROTOTYPES
  
Constantine's basilica at Trier
  
The porticus villa at Konz
  
Other porticus villas in the territory of the Salian Franks
  
Could they still be seen in Carolingian times?
collapse sectionIII.2.7. 
III.2.7
  
THREE SEPARATE CLOISTERS: AN ANSWER TO MONASTIC STRATIFICATION
  
AXIALITY OF CHURCHES: A PRINCIPLE INHERITED FROM EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE
  
GROUPING OF BUILDING MASSES: A TRANSFER TO SITE ORGANIZATION OF PRINCIPLES DEVELOPED IN BOOK ILLUMINATION
 III.2.8. 
III.2.8
collapse sectionIII. 3. 
III. 3
 III.3.1. 
III.3.1
 III.3.2. 
III.3.2
 III.3.3. 
III.3.3
 III.3.4. 
III.3.4
 III.3.5. 
III.3.5
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IV
  
INTRODUCTION
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IV. 1
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IV.1.1
  
AUTHORITY AND OBLIGATION
  
ELECTIVITY OF OFFICE
  
MANORIAL POWER AND MILITARY OBLIGATIONS
 IV.1.2. 
IV.1.2
 IV.1.3. 
IV.1.3
 IV.1.4. 
IV.1.4
 IV.1.5. 
IV.1.5
 IV.1.6. 
IV.1.6
 IV.1.7. 
IV.1.7
 IV.1.8. 
IV.1.8
 IV.1.9. 
IV.1.9
 IV.1.10. 
IV.1.10
 IV.1.11. 
IV.1.11
 IV.1.12. 
IV.1.12
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IV. 2
 IV.2.1. 
IV.2.1
 IV.2.2. 
IV.2.2
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IV.2.3
  
OPUS DEI
  
LECTIO DIVINA
  
OPUS MANUUM
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IV. 3
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IV.3.1
  
FAMILIA INTUS
  
FAMILIA FORIS
collapse sectionIV. 4. 
IV. 4
 IV.4.1. 
IV.4.1
 IV.4.2. 
IV.4.2
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IV. 5
 IV.5.1. 
IV.5.1
collapse sectionIV. 6. 
IV. 6
collapse sectionIV.6.1. 
IV.6.1
  
RESPONSIBLE MONASTIC OFFICIALS
  
MANAGEMENT BY MONKS OR BY LAYMEN?
  
SIZE
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IV. 7
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IV.7.1
  
IMPROVEMENT OF TREES BY GRAFTING
  
IMPROVED METHODS IN MANAGEMENT: BREEDING OF LIVESTOCK
  
NEW STANDARDS IN MANAGERIAL PRACTICE AND THEORY
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IV.7.2
  
NEW OR UNUSUAL HEATING DEVICES
  
SYSTEMATIC USE OF WATER POWER
 IV.7.3. 
IV.7.3
 IV.7.4. 
IV.7.4
 IV.7.5. 
IV.7.5
 IV.7.6. 
IV.7.6
 IV.7.7. 
IV.7.7

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I.3.3

ADMINISTRATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS,
DECISION to REBUILD THE MONASTERY

Abbot Gozbert not only stopped, but reversed this trend
and thus led the monastery into an age of unprecedented
prosperity. Even in the first year of his abbacy he scored a
brilliant success by obtaining territorial independence from
the see of Constance.[65] Two years later, in 818, the monastery
was granted the formal immunity of a royal abbey.[66] In
the years that followed, Gozbert not only retrieved, through
vigorous litigation, the rights and properties that the abbey
had lost through fraud and lawless alienation, but augmented
its wealth beyond all previous standards by his skill
in soliciting additional gifts.[67] By 830 the monastic economy
had gathered sufficient strength to enable him to launch his
most ambitious project, the monastery's architectural reconstruction.

We are well informed about this project by reliable
contemporary sources that tell us that Gozbert started the
work by destroying the old church, and that he progressed
with the new church so rapidly that it could be dedicated in
837 (one year after his resignation) in the presence of the
bishops of Constance and Basel, and the abbot of the
nearby monastery of Reichenau.[68] It was Gozbert's need
for proper guidance in the execution of this building project
that had prompted him to request, from a churchman of
higher rank, the copy of a master plan for a monastic
settlement, which we now know as the Plan of St. Gall. To
what extent he used the Plan in pursuing this task will be
discussed in a later chapter.

 
[65]

On the relation of St. Gall to Constance, see Mayer, 1952. For other
literature on Gozbert's achievements, see Duft's "Gozbert," 1964, 692.

[66]

The document, which frees the monastery from the control of the
Bishop of Constance and places it under the sole and direct jurisdiction of
Emperor Louis the Pious, is reprinted in Wartmann, I, 1863, 226,
No. 234.

[67]

With regard to Gozbert's contributions to the economic growth of St.
Gall, see Bikel, 1914, 10ff; and Hecht, I, 1928, 17.

[68]

An excellent summary of Abbot Gozbert's progress in rebuilding the
church will be found in Hecht, ibid., 29ff with ample reference to the
original sources, the most important of which is Ratperti casus sancti
Galli, chap. 16; ed. Meyer von Knonau, 1872, 28ff. Cf. also Poeschel,
1961, 29ff.

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