The Monastery of El Escorial was built by order of Philip II (1527–1598) in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama (Madrid). There were numerous reasons for its construction: to commemorate the victory at Saint Quentin, to create a pantheon for the Habsburg dynasty, to establish a center of learning, and so on. Construction began in 1562, with Juan Bautista de Toledo and Juan de Herrera serving as the architects. The building’s layout has been the subject of numerous comparisons, such as the courtyard and the Comares Hall of the Alhambra (Granada) or the Hospital de Egas (Santiago de Compostela). The Hall of Battles, decorated with murals, is one of the most ornate rooms in the Palace. Also noteworthy are the Royal Pantheon, which consists of an octagonal chamber, and the Royal Library. In 1931, it was declared a National Monument, and in 1984, UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site.
Bibliography
ÁLVAREZ TURIENZO, Saturnino (1984): Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Ministerio de Cultura, Madrid.
ANDRÉS, Gregorio de (1972): "Inventario de documentos sobre la construcción y ornato del Monasterio del Escorial existentes en el archivo de su Real Biblioteca, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Diego Velázquez, Madrid.
BUSTAMANTE GARCÍA, Agustín (2010): "Los usos del Escorial con Felipe II", en El legado de Borgoña. Fiesta y ceremonia cortesana en la Europa de los Austrias (1454-1648), Fundación Carlos de Amberes, Madrid.
CHUECA GOITIA, Fernando (1963): El estilo herreriano y la arquitectura en el Escorial, vol. VII, Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid.
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