San Lorenzo de El Escorial redirects here. El Escorial is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery royal palace museum and school For the municipalities, see San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid and El Escorial, Madrid. El Escorial is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, located 45 km (28 mi northwest of the Spanish capital Madrid.

Monastery and Site of the Escorial, Madrid*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Spain
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, vi
Reference	318
Region†	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	1984  (8th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. † Region as classified by UNESCO.

El Escorial, the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real (also known as the Monasterio de El Escorial or simply El Escorial) is located about 45 km (28 mi) northwest of the Spanish capital, Madrid. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex As of 2008 there are a total of 878 World Heritage Sites located in 145 "State Parties" Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe. Asia Minor, Cyprus, all of the Aegean Islands, the Canaries A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex El Escorial comprises two architectural complexes of great historical and cultural significance: El Real Monasterio de El Escorial itself and La Granjilla de La Fresneda, a royal hunting lodge and monastic retreat about five km away. These sites have a dual nature; that is to say, during the 16th and 17th centuries, they were places in which the temporal power of the Spanish monarchy and the ecclesiastical predominance of the Roman Catholic religion in Spain found a common architectural manifestation. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar ^[1] El Escorial was, at once, a monastery and a Spanish royal palace. Originally a property of the Hieronymite monks, it is now an Augustinian monastery. Hieronymites, a common name for several congregations of Hermits living according to the rule of St Augustine with supplementary regulations taken from The Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo (died AD 430) are several Catholic Monastic orders and congregations

Philip II of Spain, reacting to the Protestant Reformation sweeping through Europe during the sixteenth century, devoted much of his lengthy reign (1556-1598) and much of his seemingly inexhaustible supply of New World gold to stemming the Protestant tide. Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia. His protracted efforts were, in the long run, partly successful. However, the same counter-reformational impulse had a much more benign expression, thirty years earlier, in Philip's decision to build the complex at El Escorial. The Counter-Reformation (also Catholic Reformation denotes the period of Catholic revival from the pontificate of Pope Pius IV in 1560 to the close of the

Philip engaged the Spanish architect, Juan Bautista de Toledo, to be his collaborator in the design of El Escorial. Juan Bautista de Toledo (died May 19, 1567) was a well-known Spanish sculptor and architect from Madrid. Juan Bautista had spent the greater part of his career in Rome, where he had worked on the basilica of St. Peter's, and in Naples, where he had served the king's viceroy, whose recommendation brought him to the king's attention. The Basilica of Saint Peter (Basilica Sancti Petri officially known in Italian as the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano and commonly known as St Naples ( Napoli, Neapolitan: Nàpule) is a historic City in southern Italy, the Capital of the 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. ^[2]

On November 2, 1984, UNESCO declared The Royal Site of San Lorenzo of El Escorial a World Heritage Site. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex It is an extremely popular tourist attraction, often visited by day-trippers from Madrid.

Design and conception

Contents 1 Design and conception 2 Sections of the building 2.1 The patio of the kings 2.2 The basilica 2.3 Palace of Philip II 2.4 Hall of Battles 2.5 Pantheon of the Kings 2.6 Pantheon of the Princes 2.7 Art Gallery 2.8 Architectural Museum 2.9 Gardens of the Friars 2.10 Library 2.11 The reliquaries 3 References 4 See also 5 External links

El Escorial is situated at the foot of Mt. Abantos in the Sierra de Guadarrama. The Sierra de Guadarrama (for Spanish: Guadarrama mountain range) is a mountain chain spanning half of the Sistema Central (a Mountain range It is a bleak, semi-forested, wind-swept place that owes its name to nearby piles of slag or tailings, called scoria, the detritus of long-played-out iron mines in the Guadarrama. Slag is the By-product of Smelting Ore to purify Metals They can be considered to be a mixture of metal Oxides however Tailings (also known as slimes, gangue, tailings pile, tails, leach residue, or slickens) are the materials left over Scoria is a textural term for macrovesicular Volcanic rock. It is commonly but not exclusively Basaltic or andesitic in composition

This austere location, hardly an obvious choice for the site of a royal palace, was chosen by King Philip II of Spain, and it was he who ordained the building of a grand edifice here to commemorate the 1557 Spanish victory at the Battle of St. Quentin in Picardy against Henry II, king of France. Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 The Spanish won a significant victory over the French in the Battle of Saint-Quentin ( 1557) during the Franco-Habsburg War ( 1551 Henry II (Henri II (31 March 1519 &ndash 10 July 1559 of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I, was King of France from 31 ^[3] He also intended the complex to serve as a necropolis for the interment of the remains of his parents, Charles I and Isabella of Portugal, himself, and his descendants. A necropolis (plural necropoleis or necropoles) is a large Cemetery or burial place (from Greek nekropolis "city of the dead" Charles V (24 February 1500 &ndash 21 September 1558 was The Infanta Isabel, commonly referred to in English as Isabel of Portugal ( October 23, 1503 &ndash May 1, 1539) was the ^[4] In addition, Philip envisioned El Escorial as a center for studies in aid of the Counter-Reformation cause. The Counter-Reformation (also Catholic Reformation denotes the period of Catholic revival from the pontificate of Pope Pius IV in 1560 to the close of the

The building's cornerstone was laid on April 23, 1563. The design and construction were overseen by Juan Bautista de Toledo, who did not live to see the completion of the project. Juan Bautista de Toledo (died May 19, 1567) was a well-known Spanish sculptor and architect from Madrid. With Toledo's death in 1567, direction passed to his apprentice, Juan de Herrera, under whom the building was completed in 1584, in less than 21 years. Juan de Herrera (b Movellán ( Cantabria) Spain 1530 - d Madrid, Spain 1593 was a Spanish Architect, mathematician

Since then, El Escorial has been the burial site for most of the Spanish kings of the last five centuries, Bourbons as well as Habsburgs. This is a list of Spanish Monarchs &mdashthat is rulers of the country of Spain in the modern sense of the word The House of Bourbon is an important European Royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. The Royal Pantheon contains the tombs of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V (who ruled Spain as King Charles I), Philip II, Philip III, Philip IV, Charles II, Louis I, Charles III, Charles IV, Ferdinand VII, Isabel II, Alfonso XII, and Alfonso XIII. Charles V (24 February 1500 &ndash 21 September 1558 was Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 after he farted he ate chicken and farted some more Philip III (Felipe III April 14, 1578 &ndash March 31, 1621) was the King Philip IV (es ''Felipe IV'' pt ''Filipe III'' ( 8 April, 1605 &ndash 17 September, 1665) was King of Spain between 1621 and Charles II ( November 6 1661, Madrid – November 1 1700, Madrid was the last Habsburg King of Spain and the King Louis I of Spain ( Spanish: Luis, August 25, 1707 &ndash August 31, 1724) born Luis Felipe of Spain Charles III ( January 20, 1716 – December 14, 1788) was King of Spain 1700–88 (as Carlos III King of Naples and Charles IV ( November 11, 1748 - January 20, 1819) was King of Spain from December 14, 1788 until his abdication Early life In his youth he occupied the painful position of an heir apparent who was jealously excluded from all share in government by his parents and the royal favorite "Isabella II" redirects here For the Queen of Jerusalem also known as Isabella II see Yolande of Jerusalem. In exile When Queen Isabella and her husband were forced to leave Spain by the Revolution of 1868, Alfonso accompanied them to Paris. Reign Although Alfonso's reign would not end well it began well Two Bourbon kings, Philip V (who reigned from 1700 to 1746) and Ferdinand VI (1746-1759), as well as King Amadeo of Savoy (1870-1873), are not buried in the monastery. Philip V of Spain ( December 19, 1683 - July 9, 1746) born Philippe de France, Fils de France and duc d'Anjou Ferdinand VI, ( September 23, 1713 &ndash August 10, 1759) King of Spain from 1746 until his death second son of Philip Background Prince Amedeo of Savoy was born in Turin, Italy. He was the second son of Victor Emmanuel II (King of Piedmont, Savoy

The floor plan of the building is in the form of a gridiron. The traditional belief is that this design was chosen in honor of St. Lawrence, who, in the third century AD, was martyred by being roasted to death on a grill. St. Lawrence’s feast day is August 10, the same date as the 1557 Battle of St. Events 612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire Quentin. ^[5]

In fact, however, the origin of the building's layout is quite controversial. The grill-like shape, which did not fully emerge until Herrera eliminated from the original conception the six interior towers of the facade, was, by no means, unique to El Escorial. Other buildings had been constructed with interior courtyards fronting on churches or chapels; King's College, Cambridge, dating from 1441, is one such example; the old Ospedale Maggiore, Milan's first hospital, begun in 1456 by Antonio Filarete, is another grid-like building with interior courtyards. King's College Cambridge is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The Ospedale Maggiore, traditionally named Ca' Granda (ie Big House is a building in the center of Milan constructed to house one of the first community hospitals Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. Antonio di Pietro Averlino (c 1400 - c 1469) also "Averulino" dubbed Filarete (Greek "lover of virtue" was a Florentine In fact, palaces of this approximate design were commonplace in the Byzantine and Arab world. Strikingly similar to El Escorial is the layout of the Alcázar of Seville and the design of the Alhambra at Granada where, as at El Escorial, two courtyards in succession separate the main portal of the complex from a fully-enclosed place of worship. The Alcázar of Seville (Spanish "Alcázares Reales de Sevilla" or "Royal Alcazars of Seville" is a royal palace in Seville, Spain. This article is about the Alhambra in Granada Spain For other meanings see Alhambra (disambiguation. Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous region of Andalusia, Spain.

Nonetheless, the most persuasive theory for the origin of the floor plan is that it is based on descriptions of the Temple of Solomon by the Judeo-Roman historian, Flavius Josephus: a portico followed by a courtyard open to the sky, followed by a second portico and a second courtyard, all flanked by arcades and enclosed passageways, leading to the "holy of holies". Solomon's Temple (בית המקדש transliterated Beit HaMikdash) also known as the First Temple, was according to Josephus (AD 37 – c 100 also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias and after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus Statues of David and Solomon on either side of the entrance to the basilica of El Escorial lend further weight to the theory that this is the true origin of the design. David, Arabic: داوود or داود dawud, "beloved" was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman A more personal connection can be drawn between the David-warrior figure, representing Charles V, and his son, the stolid and solomonically prudent Philip II. Charles V (24 February 1500 &ndash 21 September 1558 was Echoing the same theme, a fresco in the center of El Escorial's library, a reminder of Solomon’s legendary wisdom, affirms Philip's preoccupation with the great Jewish king, his thoughtful and logical character, and his extraordinary monumental temple.

The Temple-of-Solomon design, if indeed it was the basis for El Escorial, was extensively modified to accommodate the additional functions and purposes Philip II intended the building to serve. Beyond being a monastery, El Escorial is also a pantheon, a basilica, a convent, a school, a library, and a royal palace. All these functional demands resulted in a doubling of the building's size from the time of its original conception.

Built primarily from locally-quarried gray granite, square and sparely-ornamented, El Escorial is austere, even forbidding, in its outward appearance, seemingly more like a fortress than a monastery or palace. It takes the form of a gigantic quadrangle, approximately 224 m by 153 m, which encloses a series of intersecting passageways and courtyards and chambers. At each of the four corners is a square tower surmounted by a spire, and, near the center of the complex (and taller than the rest) rise the pointed befries and round dome of the basilica. Philip's instructions to Toledo were simple and clear, directing that the architects should produce "simplicity in the construction, severity in the whole, nobility without arrogance, majesty without ostentation. "^[6]

Aside from its explicit purposes, the complex is also an enormous storehouse of art. It displays masterworks by Titian, Tintoretto, El Greco, Velázquez, Roger van der Weyden, Paolo Veronese, Alonso Cano, José de Ribera, Claudio Coello and others. Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c 1485 &ndash August 27 1576 better known as Titian, was the leading painter of the 16th-century Venetian Tintoretto (real name Jacopo Comin; September 29, 1518 - May 31, 1594) was one of the greatest painters of the Venetian school and El Greco' ("The Greek " 1541 &ndash April 7 1614 was a painter, sculptor, and architect of the Spanish Renaissance Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez ( June 6, 1599 &ndash August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter who was the leading Rogier van der Weyden, also known as Rogier de le Pasture (1399/1400 &ndash June 18, 1464) is with Jan van Eyck, considered one of the Paolo Veronese (1528 – April 19 1588 was an Italian painter of the Renaissance in Venice, famous for paintings such as The Wedding at Cana Alonzo Cano or Alonso Cano ( 19 March 1601 – 3 September 1667) was a Spanish painter, Architect Jusepe de Ribera ( January 12, 1591 - 1652 was a Spanish Tenebrist painter and Printmaker, also known as José de Ribera in Spanish Claudio Coello (1642&mdash1693 was a Spanish Baroque painter. ^[7] The library contains thousands of priceless manuscripts; for example, the collection of the sultan, Zidan Abu Maali, who ruled Morocco from 1603 to 1627, is housed at El Escorial. A manuscript is any Document that is Written by hand as opposed to being printed or reproduced in some other way Mawlay Zidan Abu Maali, sultan of Morocco of the Saadi Dynasty (r Giambattista Castello designed the magnificent main staircase. Giovanni Battista Castello (1500 or 1509 - 1569 or 1579 was an Italian historical painter.

Sections of the building

In order to describe the parts of the great building in a coherent fashion, it may be useful to undertake an imaginary walking tour, beginning with the main entrance at the center of the western facade:

The patio of the kings

The basilica

The basilica of San Lorenzo el Real, the central building in the El Escorial complex, was originally designed, like most of the late Gothic cathedrals of western Europe, to take the form of a Latin cross. The Christian cross is the best-known Religious symbol of Christianity. ¹ As such, it has a long nave on the west-east axis intersected by a pair of shorter transepts, one to the north and one directly opposite, to the south, about three-quarters of the way between the west entrance and the high altar. In Romanesque and Gothic Christian Abbey, Cathedral Basilica and church Architecture, the nave is the This plan was modified by Juan de Herrera to that of a Greek cross, a form with all four arms of equal length. A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other dividing one or two of the lines in half Coincident with this shift in approach, the bell towers at the western end of the church were somewhat reduced in size and the small half-dome intended to stand over the altar was replaced with a full circular dome over the center of the church, where the four arms of the Greek cross meet.

Clearly Juan Bautista de Toledo's experience with the dome of St. Peter's basilica in Rome influenced the design of the dome of San Lorenzo el Real at El Escorial. However, the Roman dome is supported by ranks of tapered Corinthian columns, with their extravagant capitals of acanthus leaves and their elaborately fluted shafts, while the dome at El Escorial, soaring nearly one hundred metres into the air, is supported by four heavy granite piers connected by simple Romanesque arches and decorated by simple Doric pilasters, plain, solid, and largely unprepossessing. The Corinthian order is one of the Classical orders of Greek and Roman Architecture, characterized The Doric order was one of the three '''orders''' or organizational systems of Ancient Greek or Classical architecture; the other two Canonical It would not be a flight of fancy to interpret St. Peter's as the quintessential expression of the High Renaissance and the basilica at El Escorial as a statement of the stark rigidity and grim purposefulness of the Inquisition and the Counter-Reformation. The High Renaissance, in the History of art, denotes the culmination of the art of the Italian Renaissance between 1450 and 1527 The Spanish Inquisition started and was established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile to maintain

The most highly-decorated part of the church is the area surrounding the high altar. Behind the altar is a three-tiered reredos, made of red granite and jasper, nearly twenty-eight metres tall, adorned with gilded bronze statuary by Leone Leoni, and three sets of religious paintings commissioned by Philip II. There are two common meanings of the word reredos. In general architecture the word can mean the back of an open hearth of a fireplace or a screen placed behind a table JasPer is a project to create a reference implementation of the codec specified in the JPEG-2000 Part-1 standard (ie See also Leone Leoni (composer, (c 1560 - 1627. Leone Leoni (1509 — 22 July 1590) was an Italian sculptor of international To either side are gilded life-size bronzes of the kneeling family groups of Charles and Philip, also by Leoni with help from his son Pompeo. In a shallow niche at the center of the lowest level is a repository for the physical elements of the communion ceremony, a so-called "House of the Sacrament", designed by Juan de Herrera in jasper and bronze. JasPer is a project to create a reference implementation of the codec specified in the JPEG-2000 Part-1 standard (ie Bronze is any of a broad range of Copper alloys, usually with Tin as the main additive but sometimes with other elements such as Phosphorus

To decorate the reredos, or altar screens, the king's preferences were Michelangelo or Titian, but both of these giants were already more than eighty years old and in frail health. Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c 1485 &ndash August 27 1576 better known as Titian, was the leading painter of the 16th-century Venetian ² Consequently, Philip consulted his foreign ambassadors for recommendations, and the result was a lengthy parade of the lesser European artists of that time, all swanning through the construction site at El Escorial seeking the king's favor.

¹ The Latin cross, with its long descending arm, is the form most familiar to western Christians as the cross on which Christ was supposed to have been crucified.

² Michelangelo died in 1564, scarcely a year after the first stones at El Escorial were laid, and Titian, when asked to come to Spain, respectfully refused on the basis of his advanced age.

Palace of Philip II

Situated next to the main altar of the Basilica, the residence of King Philip II is made up of a series of austerely decorated rooms. It features a window from which the king could observe Mass from his bed when incapacitated by the gout that afflicted him. Mass is a fundamental concept in Physics, roughly corresponding to the Intuitive idea of how much Matter there is in an object Gout (also called metabolic arthritis) is a disease created by a buildup of Uric acid.

Hall of Battles

Fresco paintings here depict the most important Spanish military victories.

Pantheon of the Kings

This consists of twenty-six marble sepulchers containing the remains of the kings and ruling queens (the only Queen-Regnant since Philip II was Isabella II), of the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties from Charles I (Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) to the present, except for Philip V and Ferdinand VI. "Isabella II" redirects here For the Queen of Jerusalem also known as Isabella II see Yolande of Jerusalem. Habsburg Spain refers to the history of Spain over the 16th and 17th centuries (1516-1700 when this country was ruled by the Habsburg dynasty (also associated to The House of Bourbon is an important European Royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in Philip V of Spain ( December 19, 1683 - July 9, 1746) born Philippe de France, Fils de France and duc d'Anjou Ferdinand VI, ( September 23, 1713 &ndash August 10, 1759) King of Spain from 1746 until his death second son of Philip

The sepulchers also contain the remains of Royal Consorts who were mothers or fathers of Kings. The only King-Consort is Francis of Asis de Bourbon, husband of queen Isabella II. The most recent remains in the sepulcher are those of King Alfonso XIII. Reign Although Alfonso's reign would not end well it began well Those of his wife, as well as his son Juan de Borbón and daughter-in-law Maria de las Mercedes (the parents of the current king, Juan Carlos I), lie at a prepared place called a pudridero, or decaying chamber. The Infante Don Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona ( Juan Carlos Teresa Silvestre Alfonso de Borbón y Battenberg) English: ( Early life Juan Carlos was born in Rome, where his grandfather Alfonso XIII of Spain lived in exile after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic

There are two pudrideros at El Escorial, one for the Pantheon of the Kings and the other for that of the Princes, which can only be visited by monks from the Monastery. In these rooms, the remains of the deceased are placed in a small leaden urn, which in turn will be placed in the marble sepulchers of the pantheon after the passage of fifty years, the estimated time necessary for the complete decomposition of the bodies.

When the remains of Juan de Borbón and Maria Mercedes are deposited in the Royal Pantheon, they will, in a sense, constitute exceptions to tradition. First, the Counts of Barcelona, Don Juan y Doña María de las Mercedes, were never able to reign, due to the institution of the Second Republic and the exile of Alfonso XIII and his entire family, though they are the parents of a King, and their remains are in the Pantheon. Second, the Pantheon also contains the remains of Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, who, although the wife of a King, was never the mother of a King in the strict sense. Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (Victoria Eugenie Julia Ena 24 October 1887 - 15 April 1969) was Queen consort of King Alfonso Some, however, do consider Don Juan to have been de jure King of Spain, which in turn would make Queen Victoria Eugenia the mother of a King. With the interment of Don Juan and Maria's remains, all the sepulchers in the Royal Pantheon will be filled; no decision has yet been announced as to the final resting place of the currently-living members of the Royal Family.

There has already been one exception to this old tradition: Queen Elisabeth of Bourbon is for the moment the only Queen in the pantheon who has not been mother to a King. That is because her only son, the presumed Heir to the Throne, died after her.

The walls of polished Toledo marble are ornamented in gold-plated bronze. Toledo Spain locationpng|thumb|right|200px|Location of Toledo in Spain

All of the wood used in El Escorial comes from the ancient forests of Sagua La Grande, on the so-called Golden Coast of Cuba. Sagua La Grande, also known as La Villa del Undoso, is a municipality and city located on the north coast of the province of Villa Clara in central

Pantheon of the Princes

Completed in 1888, this is the final resting place of princes, princesses and queens who were not mothers of kings. With floors and ceiling of white marble, the tomb of Prince John of Austria is especially notable. Currently, thirty-six of the sixty available niches are filled.

Art Gallery

Consists of works of the German, Flemish, Venetian, Lombard, Ligurian and more Italian and Spanish schools from the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. German art describes the history of the Visual arts in Germany. Early Netherlandish painting is the work of those painters who were active in the Low Countries during the 15th and early 16th century Northern renaissance The Most Serene Republic of Venice ((Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta or Repùblica de Venesia Serenissima Repubblica Lombardy (Lombardia Latin: Langobardia, Western Lombard: Lumbardìa, Eastern Lombard: Lombardia) is one of the Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions Etruscans See also Etruscan art Etruscan bronze figures and terracotta funerary reliefs include examples of a vigorous Central Italian tradition which had waned Spanish art is an important and influential type of art in Europe As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 17th Century was that Century which lasted from 1601 - 1700 in the Gregorian calendar

Architectural Museum

Its eleven rooms showcase the tools, cranes and other materials used in the construction of the edifice, as well as reproductions of blueprints and documents related to the project, containing some very interesting facts.

Gardens of the Friars

Constructed at the order of Philip II, a great lover of nature, these constitute an ideal place for repose and meditation. Juan de Villanueva ( Madrid, September 15, 1739 - id August 22, 1811) Manuel Azaña, who studied in the monastery's Augustinian-run school, mentions them in his Memorias (Memoirs) and his play El jardín de los frailes (The Garden of the Friars). Dr Manuel Azaña Díaz ( Alcalá de Henares, near Madrid, January 10 1880 &ndash November 3 1940, Montauban The Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo (died AD 430) are several Catholic Monastic orders and congregations Students at the school still use it today to study and pass the time.

Library

Philip II donated his personal collection of documents to the building, and also undertook the acquisition of the finest libraries and works of Spain and foreign countries. It was planned by Juan de Herrera, who also designed the library’s shelves; the frescoes on the vaulted ceilings were painted by Pellegrino Tibaldi. Juan de Herrera (b Movellán ( Cantabria) Spain 1530 - d Madrid, Spain 1593 was a Spanish Architect, mathematician Pellegrino Tibaldi, also known as Pellegrino di Tibaldo de Pellegrini ( Valsolda, 1527 &ndash Milan, 1596 was an Italian mannerist The library’s collection consists of more than 40,000 volumes, located in a great hall fifty-four meters in length, nine meters wide and ten meters tall with marble floors and beautifully carved wood shelves.

Benito Arias Montano produced the initial catalog for the library, selecting many of the most important volumes. Benito Arias Montano or Benedictus Arias Montanus (1527 &ndash 1598 Spanish orientalist and editor of the Antwerp Polyglot, was born at Fregenal In 1616 he was granted the privilege of receiving a copy of every published work, though there is no evidence that he ever took advantage of this right.

The vault of the library's ceiling is decorated with frescoes depicting the seven liberal arts: Rhetoric, Dialectic, Music, Grammar, Arithmetic, Geometry and Astronomy. The term liberal arts refers to a particular type of educational Curriculum broadly defined as a Classical education. Rhetoric has had many definitions no simple definition can do it justice In classical Philosophy, dialectic (διαλεκτική is controversy the exchange of arguments and counter-arguments respectively advocating Propositions Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. Grammar is the field of Linguistics that covers the Rules governing the use of any given natural language. Arithmetic or arithmetics (from the Greek word αριθμός = number is the oldest and most elementary branch of mathematics used by almost everyone Geometry ( Greek γεωμετρία; geo = earth metria = measure is a part of Mathematics concerned with questions of size shape and relative position Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study

The reliquaries

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 Catholicism. The Council of Trent was the 19th Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. A reliquary (also referred to as a Shrine or by the French term Chasse) is a container for Relics These may be the physical The collection consists of some 7500 relics, which are stored in 570 sculpted reliquaries designed by Juan de Herrera. Juan de Herrera (b Movellán ( Cantabria) Spain 1530 - d Madrid, Spain 1593 was a Spanish Architect, mathematician Most of them were constructed by the artisan, Juan de Arfe Villafañe. These reliquaries are found in highly varied forms (heads, arms, pyramidal cases, coffers, etc. A coffer (or coffering) in Architecture, is a sunken panel in the shape of a square rectangle or Octagon in a Ceiling, Soffit or ) and are distributed throughout the monastery, with the most important being concentrated in the basilica.

References

• This article draws heavily on the 31 December 2006 version of the corresponding article in the Spanish-language Wikipedia.

See also

• La Granjilla de La Fresneda de El Escorial, Madrid
• Juan Bautista de Toledo
• Juan de Herrera
• Philip II of Spain
• Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
• Town of El Escorial
• San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Madrid
• List of World Heritage Sites in Spain

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
• Maps showing areas of outstanding natural beauty, educational, scientific or cultural importance in Spain
• El Escorial tourist and travel connexions guide (Eng)

Spanish royal sites
Palaces: Palacio Real de Madrid | Zarzuela | El Escorial | El Pardo | Aranjuez | La Granja | Riofrío | Alcázares de Sevilla | La Almudena
Royal monasteries: Descalzas Reales | La Encarnación | Sta. Juan Bautista de Toledo (died May 19, 1567) was a well-known Spanish sculptor and architect from Madrid. Juan de Herrera (b Movellán ( Cantabria) Spain 1530 - d Madrid, Spain 1593 was a Spanish Architect, mathematician Philip II (Felipe II de España Filipe I ( May 21, 1527 &ndash September 13 1598) was King of Spain from 1556 until 1598 Charles V (24 February 1500 &ndash 21 September 1558 was El Escorial is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Madrid, located 45 km (28 mi northwest of the Spanish capital Madrid. This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Europe. Asia Minor, Cyprus, all of the Aegean Islands, the Canaries The royal sites ( Spanish: reales sitios) are a set of Palaces monasteries, and Convents built for and under the patronage of the A palace is a grand residence especially the home of a Head of state or some other high-ranking Public figure. The Alcázar of Seville (Spanish "Alcázares Reales de Sevilla" or "Royal Alcazars of Seville" is a royal palace in Seville, Spain. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. Clara de Tordesillas | Las Huelgas | Valle de los Caídos
Sanctuaries under royal patronage: Panteón de Hombres Ilustres | San Pascual | Sta. The Valle de los Caídos (in English Valley of the Fallen) is a monumental memorial in the municipality of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, erected at Cuelgamuros Valley Isabel | Colegio de Doncellas Nobles

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