El Escorial

Today we took a half day - 5 hour - tour to El Escorial. The Monastery of El Escorial is the monument which is said to best represent the ideological aspirations of the Spanish Golden Age. During this era, the Spanish Crown, which had established itself as the main defender of the Catholic Counter-Reformation while other countries had embraced the Protestant Reform movement, became the leading world power on account of its dynastic alliances and territorial power in Europe.

Philip II became King of Spain and of the Indies in 1556. Having decided to build the Monastery, he began his search for the ideal site in 1558 and finally located it in 1562. Work began on the project by Juan Bautista de Toledo. By 1571 the Monastery area was almost complete and work commenced on the King’s apartments in 1572 and on the Basilica in 1574. The Basilica was consecrated in 1595, though the last stone was laid in 1584, and the task of decoration dragged on for several more years.

El Escorial is the result of a collaboration between two men - Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera. Juan Bautista de Toledo, who had worked under Michaelangelo in the Vatican, was entrusted with the general site plan and most of the design drawings. There were also a number of master builders and overseers who had important roles in its design and construction. The final result of El Escorial is regarded as a highly personal manifestation of Philip’s character.

The Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo El Escorial consists of a huge rectangle, or grid, that houses the building’s various functions:
1. The holy area comprising the Church and its atrium
2. The Monastery, laid out around one large and four small courtyards
3. The King’s Apartments
4. The outbuildings of the King’s Palace
5. The School, and
6. The Library

We were able to visit the Library, the Church, the King’s Apartments, The Courtyard, Gallery of the Lower Cloister, the Main Staircase, the Chapter Rooms and The Pantheon (Dead Royals). We also snuck a look at the King’s Gardens through a few windows.

There is a large collection of artwork spread out through the various rooms, too many to mention.Read more