El Escorial

The Monasterio del Escorial is a large granite building whose full title is the Monasterio de San Lorenzo del Escorial. El Escorial is found 50 kilometres northwest of Madrid and is situated in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama. Undoubtedly, this monastery is one of Spain’s greatest wonders!

King Philip II had El Escorial built to commemorate his defeat of the French at the battle of San Quentin on 10 August 1557. This day is known as St Lawrence’s Day (San Lorenzo is Saint Lawrence in Spanish). The monastery was also intended as a burial place for Philip’s father, the great Carlos IV. Construction began in 1567 under the supervision of Juan Bautista de Toledo. His assistant, Juan de Herrara, later completed it in 1584.

The center of the building consists of a church that has two tall towers and a dome. One enters the building through a large courtyard known as La Lonja. Along this courtyard you reach the Patio de los Reyes or the Courtyard of the Kings. Just a few steps further on leads to the actual church itself. The Basilica consists of an impressive dome that stands on four great arches. In the past it was here that great religious festivals were held.

The sarcophagi of most of the kings of Spain since Carlos I are found in the Panteon de los Reyes or Royal Pantheon. The room is awe-inspiring and a few of the ornamental stone coffins still remain unoccupied!

The Biblioteca de Impresos, or the monastery’s library, is extensively decorated with numerous tapestries and frescoes of many painters. The library holds around 40, 000 volumes and hundreds of ancient manuscripts and bibles. A priceless piece of literature that can be viewed here is the diary of St Theresa of Avila. Another one is the 'Codex Aureus' that was completed for the German Emperor Conrad II in 1039.

On the ground floor of El Escorial are two superb museums. Famous masters can be found amongst the collections of the Arts Museum. El Greco’s the ‘Martydom of St Maurice and The Theban Legionary’ is just one of the many fine examples. In the other museum, the Architectural Museum, one can examine the documents and plans relating to the construction of the monastery.

Another section one must not fail to visit is the Habitacion de Filipe II. This is Philip II’s cell and it is here where he spent the last years of his life. Living in spartan conditions and troubled by much pain, he finally died in the adjoining alcove in 1598.

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