El Escorial
El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Spanish: Monasterio y Sitio de El Escorial en Madrid), or Monasterio de El Escorial (Spanish pronunciation: [el eskoˈɾjal]), is a historical residence of the King of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 2.06 kilometres (1.28 mi) up the valley (4.1 km [2.5 mi] road distance) from the town of El Escorial and about 45 kilometres (28 mi) northwest of the Spanish capital Madrid.[1] Built between 1563 and 1584 by order of King Philip II (who reigned 1556–1598),[2][3] El Escorial is the largest Renaissance building in the world.[4] It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, basilica, royal palace, pantheon, library, museum, university, school, and hospital.
For other uses, see El Escorial (disambiguation).Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Monastery of El Escorial
San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain
Monastery and Site of the Escorial, Madrid
Cultural: (i), (ii), (iv)
1984 (8th session)
Monasterio de San Lorenzo
Non-movable
Monument
3 June 1931
RI-51-0001064
El Escorial consists of two architectural complexes of great historical and cultural significance: the royal monastery itself and La Granjilla de La Fresneda, a royal hunting lodge and monastic retreat about five kilometres (3.1 mi) away. These sites have a dual nature: during the 16th and 17th centuries, they were places in which the power of the Spanish monarchy and the ecclesiastical predominance of the Roman Catholic religion in Spain found a common architectural manifestation.[5] El Escorial was both a Spanish royal palace and a monastery, although Philip II is the only monarch who ever lived in the main building. Established with a community of Hieronymite monks, it has become a monastery of the Order of Saint Augustine.[1][6] It was also a boarding school: the Real Colegio de Alfonso XII.[7]
Philip II engaged the Spanish architect Juan Bautista de Toledo to be his collaborator in the building of the complex at El Escorial.[2][8][9][3] Toledo had spent the greater part of his career in Rome, where he had worked on St. Peter's Basilica,[10][3] and in Naples serving the king's viceroy, whose recommendation brought him to the king's attention. Philip appointed him architect-royal in 1559, and, together, they designed El Escorial as a monument to Spain's role as a center of the Christian world.[11]
On 2 November 1984, UNESCO declared The Royal Seat of San Lorenzo of El Escorial a World Heritage Site.[2][8][9][6][3] It is a popular tourist attraction, often visited by daytrippers from Madrid—more than 500,000 visitors come to El Escorial every year.
The reliquaries[edit]
Following a rule approved by the Council of Trent dealing with the veneration of saints, Philip II donated to the monastery one of the largest reliquaries in all of Catholic Christendom. The collection consists of some 7,500 relics, which are stored in 570 sculpted reliquaries[6] designed by Juan de Herrera, with most being constructed by the artisan Juan de Arfe Villafañe. These reliquaries are found in highly varied forms (heads, arms, pyramidal cases, coffers, etc.) and are distributed throughout the monastery, with the most important being concentrated in the basilica.
In the basilica, the relics are kept within two altarpieces, with the door panels painted by Federico Zuccaro. Within the altarpiece depicting the "Annunciation") are relics of female saints; its companion includes the relics of male saints.[43]
Adjacent buildings[edit]
Juan de Herrera also designed the Casas de Oficios (Official Buildings) opposite the monastery's north façade; and his successor, Francisco de Mora, designed the Casa de la Compaña (Company Quarters).
Monastery and its reflection
Pool from the Monastery
A distant view.
View of El Escorial from the Seat of Philip II
The Casita del Principe, was built in 1771–75 to designs of Juan de Villanueva, for the Prince of the Asturias, the future Carlos IV
The Monastery with the garden
