We spend a lot of time on the internet here at the BRI, and one of the things we love about it is that amid all the clutter and crap there is some truly wonderful stuff out there. In “Internet Wonders” we’ll be sharing those finds with you, hopefully pointing you to gems you haven’t seen before. Like this one: “Librophiliac Love Letter: A Compendium of Beautiful Libraries,” from the under-appreciated Curious Expeditions:

“For us here at Curious Expeditions, there has always been something about libraries. Row after row, shelf after shelf, there is nothing more magical than a beautiful old library.”

We couldn’t agree more. Here’s just one of the dozens of incredible photos they’ve collected over there, this one of the library at the Abbey of St. Gallen in Switzerland, dating all the way back to the 8th century:

Go on over, take a look around. We’re pretty sure you’ll enjoy it.

And here’s some more info on the Abbey of St. Gallen, from Wikipedia:

The Abbey Library of Saint Gall was founded by Saint Othmar, the founder of the Abbey of St. Gall. The library collection is the oldest in Switzerland, and is one of earliest and most important monastic libraries in the world. It holds 2,100 manuscripts dating back to the 8th through the 15th centuries.

And at this site you can actually view the abbey library’s ancient manuscripts online. (How cool is that?)