I am back with more memorable pictures found in my vault of one of the jewels of our world, a must to visit while in Spain. What can I say , several posts on this wonderful town, and country, that are full of family memories since childhood, the land of my maternal and paternal grandparents. The No 2 most visited country in the world by UN-WTO standards. I like to tell you a bit about one wonder of our world; the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Been here since a child and never tired of coming back for more, its an absolute must to see! The Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a complex that includes a royal palace, a basilica, a pantheon, a library, a school and a monastery. It is located in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, in the Community of Madrid region, on the southern slope of Mount Abantos,at 1028 meters altitude, in the Sierra de Guadarrama ,and was built between 1563 and 1584. Let me tell you a bit more of it and hope you enjoy the post as I
It’s a work of art, indeed a wonder of our world, a must to see by all. I know I am repeating myself but do go see it, and learn a whole lot of my dear Spain, The Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is awesome !!
You have the wonderful Avenida de Juán de Borbón y Battenberg that goes around the monastery a great run by car or on foot, awesome.
The always magnificent ceilings of the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial are wonders to your eyes to see them,
Go around to see the part of the Hagsburg palace, of the Autrian-Spanish Hagsburg dynasty or Casa de Austria ,(house).
The wonderful call Hall of Paintings, that from the second half of the 17C on the initiative of Felipe IV, continued later by Carlos II, and which had an exceptional protagonist in the painter and royal lodger Don Diego Velázquez, The museum was reorganized in the second half of the 20C for the proper collection installation, Awesome beauty.
You must see the pantheon of the kings/queens that even mortuaries is a work of art and to know more architecture and history of Spain, The Pantheon of Kings is from the 17th century and responds to a clearly baroque aesthetic. Its shape is that of a chamber in the shape of a circle segmented into eight sections. Felipe III, son of Felipe II, turned it into the Pantheon that we know today, he commissioned it to be covered in bronze and marble. The altar is presided over by a crucified Christ, the work of Domenico Guidi. In the urns rest the remains of the monarchs and their wives, these only in case they were mothers of kings. All of them placed in chronological order from Carlos V to Alfonso XIII, Kings on the right side of the altar, Queens on the left. Only the bodies of Felipe V, his son Fernando VI and those of his wives are absent, since they all decided to be buried in their respective foundations of La Granja de San Ildefonso and the Monastery of the Salesas Reales in Madrid.
In the courtyard, you have a view of wonderful architecture and the belltower of the church from the cloister.
You have wonderful exterior gardens surrounding this marvel of a monastery enough to stay there for days….wonderfully manicure and kept, a peaceful place to be, On the artificial terraces that border the southern and eastern façades of the Royal Monastery are the Jardín de los Frailes and the Jardines del Rey y de la Reina.
The San Lorenzo de El Escorial tourist office on the Royal Monastery :https://www.sanlorenzoturismo.es/en/what-to-visit/royal-monastery-of-san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial/
The National Heritage of Spain on El Escorial :https://www.patrimonionacional.es/en/visita/royal-site-san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial
A royal site with good info on the monastery of El Escorial : https://el-escorial.com/el-escorial-decoration/
The Comunidad de Madrid region tourist office on the Royal Monastery :https://www.turismomadrid.es/es/descubre/ciudades-patrimonio-de-la-humanidad/san-lorenzo-de-el-escorial.html
There you go folks, again, you must come, the books, travel sites even my blog are not enough to see this wonder of our world. Never tired of riding out to see it when in Madrid. The Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, wow! In my dear Spain, of course!
And remember, happy travels , good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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