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Buildings and Structures

El Escorial

Palaces and Aristocratic Residences

The Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, usually called El Escorial, is a historical residence of the king of Spain in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 45 kilometers northwest of Madrid. Built between 1563 and 1584 on the order of King Philip II, it is the largest Renaissance building in the world and functions at once as monastery, basilica, royal palace, pantheon, library, museum, university, school and hospital.

Facts
Building Type
Royal Monastery and Palace Complex 1
Location
San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain 1
Completed Year
1563 2
Completed Year
1584 1
Classification
Standing Status
Standing 1
Building Type
Building Type (category)
Palace 1
Connections

Has Building Type

Palace, Concepts

In Style

Herrerian Architecture, Styles and Movements

Juan de Herrera's severe granite palace-monastery for Philip II, 1563 to 1584, is the namesake and defining work of Herrerian architecture.

Renaissance Architecture, Styles and Movements

A Renaissance-era landmark.

Uses Element

Granite, Architectural Materials
Source El Escorial (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases

Located In

Spain

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is located.

Sources
1. El Escorial (Wikipedia)
  • Wikipedia lead sentence (building type)
    It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, basilica, royal palace, pantheon, library, museum, university, school, and hospital.
  • Lead section
    The Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Spanish: Monasterio y Sitio de El Escorial en Madrid), also called Monasterio de El Escorial (Spanish pronunciation: [el eskoˈɾjal]) or simply El Escorial, is a historical residence of the king of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 2.06 kilometres (1.28 mi) up the valley (4.1 km [2.5 mi] road distance) from the town of El Escorial and about 45 kilometres (28 mi) northwest of the Spanish capital Madrid.
  • Lead section
    Built between 1563 and 1584 by order of King Philip II (who reigned 1556-1598), El Escorial is the largest Renaissance building in the world.
  • Lead section
    Built between 1563 and 1584 by order of King Philip II (who reigned 1556-1598), El Escorial is the largest Renaissance building in the world. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, basilica, royal palace, pantheon, library, museum, university, school, and hospital.
  • Uses Element: Granite, Wikipedia article
    Built primarily from locally quarried gray granite, square and sparsely ornamented, El Escorial is austere, even forbidding, in its outward appearance, seemingly more like a fortress than a monastery or palace.
View the Source
2. Wikidata: El Escorial
  • Wikidata Q28471, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
  • Wikidata Q28471, P571 claim (w-bbfill-artsarchag-0926)
View the Source
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