El Escorial: Palace, Monastery and Mausoleum

The Palace of El Escorial in Spain, built by Philip II in the second half of the sixteenth century, was intended to combine all the functions of Church and state. It also contains the bodies of all but two of the kings of Spain from Charles V to Alfonso XIII. From the outside it appears drab and austere, but from within it gives us an intriguing insight into the mind of Philip II, who erected it in a barren and severe setting as a memorial to his father, `to offer respect and honor to death,' and to commemorate Spain's victory at San Quentin in 1557. At close range the beauty of the palace's ornamentation and of its pools and gardens can be seen; but one can also view the small, bare and poorly furnished cell in which Philip chose to die. It is this mixture of royal grandeur and monastic austerity that makes El Escorial unique.

© 1998-2008 The Roland Collection & Pira Intl.