El Escorial Palace

This huge complex was conceived by the reigning monarch King Phillip II as a thanksgiving gesture for his victory over the French in 1557 at the battle of St Quentin. The battle took place on St Lawrence’s day, so the building was designed in the shape of a gridiron over which St Lawrence was reputedly martyred by roasting.

The construction took place between 1563 and 1584 and was to fulfil several functions. The first was to be a palace for the king and his royal household. Then it was to be a tomb for his father Charles V, and also to be a monastery that would occupy the most floor space.

The approach from the lower town shows a large but pleasing design.

From the side it presents a much more austere picture, helped of course by a dull day.

Once inside, we see why it was a royal palace. During the 16^th century treasure from the New World was pouring into Spain and it was spent on buildings such as this. The library here contains immeasurably valuable 16^th century books, paintings and early scientific objects. Photos not allowed inside so I’ve used some of the audio/visual guide pics.

The basilica has the dimensions of a cathedral, with a 30 metre high magnificent altarpiece containing numerous works of art.

Philip was intensely religious and his simple bedroom had an internal window that allowed him to look directly at this altar from his bed.

Another remarkable room is the hall of battles, illustrated with scenes from Philip’s victories. The whole of the left-hand wall features, unsurprisingly, the battle of St Quentin that inspired Philip to build El Escorial.

The fine detail is remarkable, an example of which is below.

It’s usually difficult to place foreign monarchs in some connection with UK history, but Phillip II is different. We know him: in 1588 this guy sent the Spanish Armada to conquer England, and we all know it was defeated by Sir Francis Drake with some help from a storm. You might guess this doesn’t figure in the Hall of Battles!

The audio guide moves us on to the Pantheon of the Princes: all the royals that died young. Each tomb is in white marble and delicately carved. This rotunda is only a small part and the most intricate, like a sad wedding cake.

Following on comes the Pantheon of the Kings, 26 royal Spanish tombs are stored in this unbelievable splendour.

We find the rooms and exhibits from the time of Phillip II the most interesting. He has another connection to the UK: his second wife (4 altogether) was Queen Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. She was the Mary of the “Mary, Mary, quite contrary” nursey rhyme and was generally unpopular in England for her draconian reintroduction of Catholicism in her reign.

Later monarchs altered the decorative style to the tastes of their times. The most distinctive were the Bourbons who ruled Spain during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. This is a selection of their new opulence as shown in the next photos. First, the Dining Room.

Queen’s Audience Room.

Music Room. Clearly, yellow is the in colour.

There are numerous works of art on the walls, tapestries, furniture and artefacts, all of immense value. It’s an overwhelming amount to take in, and only a part of the building is open to the public. But now we’ll leave the edifice and take a quick look at the town of El Escorial.

It’s pleasant but nothing great, having sprung up after the creation of the great palace. It’s full of restaurants to cater for the tourists and has a few nice squares like this one. 

Some leafy avenues.

.Our campsite is only 2 miles down the road. The El Escorial building was an amazing place, but cups of tea are urgently required to recover from the experience overload.