El Escorial
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- San Lorenzo de El Escorial redirects here. For the municipalities, see San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid and El Escorial, Madrid.
Parts of this article have been translated from the Spanish language version of this page.
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| State Party |  Spain |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, vi |
| Identification | #318 |
| Regionb | Europe and North America |
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Inscription History |
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| Formal Inscription: | 1984 8th Session |
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a Name as officially inscribed on the WH List |
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The Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (in Spanish, Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial) is an immense palace, Augustinian monastery, museum, and library complex located at San Lorenzo de El Escorial (also San Lorenzo del Escorial), a town 45 kilometres (28 miles) northwest of Madrid in the autonomous community of Madrid in Spain.
[edit] Construction and function
Situated next to Mt. Abantos in the Sierra de Guadarrama, the construction of this monumental complex was ordered by King Philip II of Spain to commemorate the victory at the Battle of St. Quentin in 1557 over the troops of Henry II, King of France. The complex was also intended to serve as a necropolis as for the interment of the remains of Philip’s parents, Charles I and Isabella of Portugal, as well as those of himself and his descendants, in addition to being a seat of studies in aid of the Counter-Reformation.
Since then, it has been the burial site for most Spanish kings of the last five centuries, from the houses of Habsburg and Bourbon. The Royal Pantheon contains the tombs of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (King Charles I of Spain), Philip II, Philip III, Philip IV, Charles II, Louis I, Charles III, Charles IV, Ferdinand VII, Isabel II, Alfonso XII and Alfonso XIII. The two Bourbon kings Philip V and Ferdinand VI, as well as King Amadeo of Savoy (1870-1873), are not buried in the Monastery.
The building’s cornerstone was laid on April 23, 1563. The construction was overseen by Juan Bautista de Toledo, who did not live to see its completion, dying in 1567. With his death, direction passed to his apprentice Juan de Herrera, under whom it was completed in 1584.
The floor plan of the building evokes a grill shape; this was traditionally thought to have been done in honor of Saint Lawrence, who was martyred by being roasted to death on a grill. St. Lawrence’s feastday is August 10, which is the same date on which the aforementioned Battle of St. Quentin took place.
In reality, however, the architectural origin of the building’s shape is quite controversial. Aside from the happy coincidence of the grill shape, which did not even appear until Herrera eliminated the six interior towers of the facade, the floor plan appears to be more nearly based on the descriptions of the Temple of Solomon by the Judeo-Roman historian Flavius Josephus, modified as necessary for the building’s function as a monastery and for the various other purposes Philip II intended the edifice to serve, including pantheon, basilica, convent, school, library, and palace. All these factors resulted in the building doubling its initial size.
The statues of David and Solomon that flank the entrance to the church (see Basilica of El Escorial) serve as a reminder of this origin and parallel the differences between the warrior Charles V and the prudent Philip II. In the same way, the fresco of Solomon, situated in the center of the library, shows Solomon’s great wisdom in the famous episode with the Queen of Sheba.
The complex has an enormous store of art, including masterworks by Titian, Tintoretto, El Greco, Velázquez, Roger van der Weyden, Paolo Veronese, Alonso Cano, José de Ribera, Claudio Coello and others. Also at the complex is a library containing thousands of priceless ancient manuscripts like the collection of the Moroccan sultan Zidan Abu Maali (r.1603–1627). Giambattista Castello designed the main staircase.
On November 2, 1984, UNESCO declared The Royal Site of San Lorenzo of El Escorial a World Heritage Site. It is an extremely popular tourist attraction, often visited as a day trip from Madrid.
[edit] See also
List of World Heritage Sites in Spain
[edit] External links
- Practical Information for Public Visits
- El Escorial - picturesain
- Jardin del Monasterio de El Escorial - a Gardens Guide review
- El Escorial Monastery - History and Photos
- 74 Photos of El Escorial
| Spanish royal sites |  |
| Palaces: Palacio Real de Madrid | Zarzuela | El Escorial | El Pardo | Aranjuez | La Granja | Riofrío | Alcázares de Sevilla | La Almudena |
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| Royal monasteries: Descalzas Reales | La Encarnación | Sta. Clara de Tordesillas | Las Huelgas | Valle de los Caídos |
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| Sanctuaries under royal patronage: Panteón de Hombres Ilustres | San Pascual | Sta. Isabel | Colegio de Doncellas Nobles |
|
Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada | Altamira Cave | Aranjuez Cultural Landscape | Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida | Archaeological Ensemble of Tárraco | Archaeological Site of Atapuerca | Ávila with its extra-mural Churches | Burgos Cathedral | Cáceres | Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí | Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias, Seville | Cordoba | Cuenca | Doñana | El Escorial | Garajonay | Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture | Las Médulas | Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon | Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias | Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona | Palmeral of Elche | Poblet Monastery | Pyrénées - Mont Perdu (w/ France) | Renaissance Monuments of Úbeda and Baeza | Rock-Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula | Roman Walls of Lugo | Route of Santiago de Compostela | Salamanca | San Cristóbal de La Laguna | San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries | Santa María de Guadalupe | Santiago de Compostela | Segovia and its Aqueduct | Silk Exchange in Valencia | Toledo | University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares | Vizcaya Bridge | Works of Antoni Gaudí
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