El Escorial

Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Real Sitio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial
A distant view of the Royal Site
Map
Alternative namesMonastery of El Escorial
General information
Architectural styleHerrerian style
LocationSan Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain
ManagementPatrimonio Nacional
Design and construction
Architect(s)Juan Bautista de Toledo
Official nameMonastery and Site of the Escorial, Madrid
CriteriaCultural: (i), (ii), (iv)
Designated1984 (8th session)
Reference no.318
RegionEurope and North America
Official nameMonasterio de San Lorenzo
TypeNon-movable
CriteriaMonument
Designated3 June 1931
Reference no.RI-51-0001064

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.

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.

  1. ^ a b "El Escorial". Britannica. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Roller, Sarah (24 November 2020). "El Escorial". History Hit. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference ingeoexpert was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Tietz, Tabea (13 September 2020). "El Escorial – The World's largest Renaissance Building". SciHi Blog. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  5. ^ UNESCO (2008). "The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial and Natural Surroundings". Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference significance was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ unknown (2016). "Identidad". Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference unesco was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference headout was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference experiences was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Mary Crawford Volk; Kubler, George (1 March 1987). "Building the Escorial". The Art Bulletin. 69 (1). The Art Bulletin, Vol. 69, No. 1: 150–153. doi:10.2307/3051093. JSTOR 3051093.

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