The Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a complex made up of a monastery, a college, a library, a basilica, a pantheon, and a royal palace. It was constructed in the 16th century, between 1563 and 1584, in the Spanish town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, in the Community of Madrid.
The basilica is where the Spanish kings are interred, while the monastery, which was constructed by monks of the Order of St. Jerome, is currently home to friars of the Order of St. Augustine. The palace served as the abode of the Spanish royal family. It is one of Europe's and Spain's most distinctive Renaissance architectural specimens. It is situated in San Lorenzo de El Escorial and covers a 33,327 m2 plot of land. It is 1,028 m above sea level and situated on the southern slopes of Mount Abantos in the Sierra de Guadarrama. It is overseen by National Heritage.
It was created in the second half of the 16th century by King Philip II and his architect Juan Bautista de Toledo, also known as the Monastery of San Lorenzo El Real or simply El Escorial, with later contributions from Juan de Herrera, Juan de Minjares, Giovanni Battista Castello El Bergamasco, and Francisco de Mora. The Herrerian style was born out of a massive multipurpose, monastic, and palatial structure that the king envisioned and which Juan Bautista de Toledo created using the Universal Design paradigm.
It was regarded as the eighth wonder of the world starting at the end of the 16th century because of its grandeur, functional complexity, and immense symbolic significance. Through its architecture, Renaissance Plateresque gave way to unadorned classicism. It is a massive, gigantic sculpture that serves as a container for various forms of art. El Escorial doubles as a museum thanks to its paintings, sculptures, choir books, parchments, liturgical decorations, and other priceless, religious, and aulic things. Its intricate iconography and iconology have prompted historians, fans, and critics to offer a wide range of interpretations. El Escorial is the culmination of King Philip II's (a Renaissance prince) thoughts and will.
The Monastery and Site of El Escorial was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on November 2, 1984. It is a popular tourist destination in the Madrid Community. Over 500,000 people visit the enormous facility each year.