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Visiting San Lorenzo de El Escorial!

Madrid is the capital city of Spain and is full of treasures to explore like the Royal Palace of Madrid, and other famous Spanish squares like Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor, but another Spanish treasure that is located just outside Madrid that makes for a great day trip is San Lorenzo de El Escorial. It is a beautiful touristic town located in the autonomous community of Madrid. It’s main tourist attraction is the Monastery and Royal Site. Let’s learn about a few of the treasures of traveling in and around San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

The Town and Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

San Lorenzo de El Escorial is located northwest of Madrid and is a short drive from the Capital, about 60 kilometers or 37 miles away, at the base of the Guadarrama Mountain Range (Sierra de Guadarrama). San Lorenzo is a beautiful and picturesque town, which didn’t exist and wasn’t developed until after the monastery was built. Originally, it was a small agricultural and cattle farming village. Today it’s a bustling town full of energy and it’s a great place to visit if you want to escape the congestion of a large city like Madrid because you can walk throughout the town while breathing in the mountain air and relaxing in local eateries by eating some savory Spanish dishes in local cafes and tapas bars. There are a multitude of dining options serving traditional Castilian cuisine. The centerpiece of the town primarily consists of a huge monastery named El Escorial. It’s a large religious and palace complex that was the country home for Spanish royalty for hundreds of years. In 1984, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of Spain’s most visited landmarks.

History of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

After King Charles V died in 1558, his son, Felipe II (or Philip II) decided to create a memorial for his relatives, that included a family vault for them to eternally rest in. He also wanted to build a religious complex to make up for the destruction of a church dedicated to San Lorenzo in the Battle of San Quintin that took place in France years before. Therefore, he commissioned the construction of the San Lorenzo de El Escorial Monastery.

Design of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Felipe II employed the architect Juan Bautista de Toledo to design the project. The entire complex is made up of a Basilica, a palace, the pantheon of the kings, (where centuries of Spanish royalty are buried), an art gallery, a library, an architectural museum and beautiful gardens. One of the main focal points is the Basilica whose design was influenced by St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, because the architect, Juan Bautista, had actually worked on the design and construction of St. Peter’s Basilica. The entire building is one of the most important architectural monuments of the Spanish Renaissance.

Construction of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

The construction of San Lorenzo de El Escorial began in 1563 and just a few short years later, the architect Juan Bautista de Toledo, died in 1567. They had to find a new architect to finish the project, so Juan de Herrera was hired to complete the complex and help make this royal monastery and palace stand out as uniquely Spanish. The main layout of the complex consisted of a rectangular design with a four story outer wall with large towers at each corner and a basilica in the middle. The church was completed in 1582. The monastery, royal palace and college were completed in 1584 and the library was finally finished in 1592. The Royal Pantheon was completed by Felipe IV in the 17th century, so the bodies of Spanish royalty could be laid to rest.

Artwork within San Lorenzo de El Escorial

Many notable Spanish and Italian artists from the 16th and 17th centuries were used to decorate the interior of the Escorial complex with frescoes, paintings and tapestries. You can view the splendid frescoes along the ceilings of the library and staircases and you can view Renaissance and baroque collections of paintings that are Spanish artistic treasures. Some of the paintings on display are by Bosch, El Greco and Velázquez, just to name a few.

Library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

The library is a room that you must see on your visit to El Escorial. It has a barrel vaulted ceiling with a painted fresco. The library has marble floors and a large selection of books and documents; over 40,000.

The Royal Pantheon of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

The tombs of nearly all the Spanish monarchs are buried within the Royal Pantheon of El Escorial. Felipe II originally decided to create a memorial for his relatives, that included a family vault for them to eternally rest in. The Royal Pantheon is a domed octagonal space made of marble, jasper and bronze in a baroque architectural style. There are also smaller adjoining chambers where other family members have been buried and laid to rest called the Pantheon of Princes.

Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

The Basilica of El Escorial has a magnificent alter to view and apparently quite a bit of the gold the Spanish brought back from the Americas ended up here in El Escorial. The basilica also has a dome designed after the dome at St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The dome rises nearly 100m into the sky.

Getting to and from San Lorenzo de El Escorial

It takes about an hour to get to San Lorenzo de El Escorial by driving so you can rent a car in Madrid and drive from the capital to this Spanish treasure. You can also take a bus from the Intercambiador de Moncloa in Madrid. The buses depart every 5 to 10 minutes and will drop you off close to the monastery. You can also take a train from Madrid to visit El Escorial and the town on a special tour.

Visit other Interesting Tourist Attractions Close to San Lorenzo de El Escorial

There are many treasures of traveling throughout the autonomous community of Madrid and the capital city of Spain to discover, like Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor and the Royal Palace of Madrid. Spain has many treasures of traveling to offer any tourist and San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a wonderful place to explore. There are also many wonderful southern Spanish cities to discover like Granada and Seville.

Check out the map below to see where San Lorenzo de El Escorial is located at!

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