Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial | |
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Real Sitio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial | |
![]() A distant view of the Royal Site | |
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Alternative names | Monastery of El Escorial |
General information | |
Architectural style | Herrerian style |
Location | San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain |
Management | Patrimonio Nacional |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Juan Bautista de Toledo |
Official name | Monastery and Site of the Escorial, Madrid |
Criteria | Cultural: (i), (ii), (iv) |
Designated | 1984 (8th session) |
Reference no. | 318 |
Region | Europe and North America |
Official name | Monasterio de San Lorenzo |
Type | Non-movable |
Criteria | Monument |
Designated | 3 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.
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