El Escorial

 EL ESCORIAL

BASIC INFORMATION 

Author: Juan Herrera

Title: El Escorial

Year: 1563-1584

Style: Spanish Culture

Technique: Sand, lime, granite, slate, marble and bronze

Location: Madrid

General Description: El Escorial is a monastery devised by Felipe II and his architect Juan Bautista of Toledo.

This is the monastery of San Lorenzo of El Escorial. The architect is Juan Herrera. Juan Herrera was an architect, mathematician and geometrician. One of the most outstanding Spanish architects in the 16th century. He represents the peak of the Renaissance in Spain.

Their works were: Monastery of San Lorenzo of El Escorial, Cathedral of Valladolid, Royal Palace of Aranjuez and Archivo General of Indias. His most important work was El Escorial, that he ended in 1584, after reorganizing the original project of Juan Bautista of Toledo. Later, Felipe II, commanded the Cathedral of Valladolid and it was to be the largest cathedral in Europe. 

The style is Spanish Culture. The construction is in 1563-1584. 

El Escorial is a royal palace, a basilica, a cemetery, a library and a monastery. It was built with sand, lime, granite and slate. Marbles figures in Toledo and bronze in Milan.

This monastery is in Madrid. 

The plant is rectangular with four cornes towers. That is common in the Castilian fortresses of stone, classic Italian architecture in the basilica and the covers. The roofs made with slate. 

The sections of the building are: the library, Palace of Felipe II, basilica, crypt, reliquaries, convent, main staircase, chapter houses, hall of battles, museum of architecture and gardens of the friars.

I think that El Escorial is one of the best monasteries of Spain. I like it because now is a museum and you can visit all.