St. Laurenzen is the Protestant town church of St. Gallen, standing at the edge of the Abbey District, a few steps from the Catholic cathedral. For almost three centuries it was the political and religious centre of the city republic, and it was here that the reformer Vadian led St. Gallen away from the abbey that had founded it.
St. Laurenzen at a glance
- Where: in the old town, on the edge of the Abbey District, between Marktgasse and the cathedral.
- Built: a first church probably in the mid-12th century, documented from 1225; the present neo-Gothic look dates from a rebuild in 1851–1854.
- By: the rebuild was designed by Johann Georg Müller and carried out by Johann Christoph Kunkler after Müller's death; the tower follows plans by Ferdinand Stadler.
- What it is today: the Reformed parish church of the city, a listed monument of national importance and a regular venue for organ music and concerts.
- Time needed: 20–30 minutes for the exterior and the nave.
From town church to Reformation stronghold
St. Laurenzen was a parish church by 1235, but for a long time it belonged to the powerful Abbey of St. Gall, which had it incorporated in 1359. As the town grew richer from linen, its citizens wanted control over their own church, and in 1413 the town took over its administration. The building became the place where the city republic met, prayed and made decisions.
In 1524 the town council, led by the humanist and doctor Joachim von Watt, known as Vadian, who later became mayor, decided to adopt the Reformation. The church was formally reformed in 1525, its images and statues were removed in 1526, and the Protestant communion was introduced in 1527. From then on the Protestant town and the Catholic abbey lived side by side, separated by a wall. In the 1850s the medieval church was rebuilt in neo-Gothic style: the nave was raised, the façades redone in Gothic forms and the tower given its present shape.
What to look for
- The tower: a square shaft that turns into an octagonal upper storey and ends in a pointed spire, one of the landmarks of the old town skyline.
- The neo-Gothic façades from the 1850s, a deliberate contrast to the Baroque cathedral next door.
- The bright, plain interior, typical of a Reformed church, with no altarpieces or statues.
- The large organ by Orgelbau Kuhn from 1979, with 45 stops on three manuals and pedal; an organ is documented here as early as 1511.
- The view across to the cathedral's twin towers, which shows how close the two rival worlds really were.
Two churches, one wall
For centuries St. Gallen was a strange double city: the Protestant town around St. Laurenzen and the Catholic abbey territory around the cathedral, each with its own ruler. A wall ran between them. The relationship has softened since: in 1995 and again in 2006 the new Catholic bishops of St. Gallen were consecrated in St. Laurenzen, because the cathedral did not have enough room for all the guests.
Tips for your visit
- Visit on a weekday morning, when the church is quiet; during services and concerts, sightseeing is not possible.
- Look out for organ concerts and recitals, the best way to hear the Kuhn organ.
- Dress and behave as you would in any working church: it is a parish church, not a museum.
- Combine it with the Abbey District next door, then walk down Marktgasse to the Vadian monument.
Nearby
- Abbey Library: one of the oldest monastic libraries in the world, in a Baroque hall, part of the UNESCO-listed Abbey District.
- St. Gallen Cathedral: the Baroque abbey church with its twin-towered east façade, right next door.
- Vadian monument: the statue of the reformer on the market square, a couple of minutes' walk away.
- Stadtlounge: the red-carpeted open-air "living room" in the Bleicheli district, a short walk from the old town.
See St. Gallen with World City Trail
Our St. Gallen scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 26 minutes of walking. You can play in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in St. Gallen.
Play the St. Gallen scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of St. Gallen →
Play the outdoor escape game in St. Gallen →
Facts checked in October 2026.