Escorial city spain. The mysterious and unique Escorial Palace of the Kings of Spain

- Spanish monastery, palace and royal residence. The Escorial building is located an hour's drive from the Spanish capital, right at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama.

The palace of granite blocks looks very severe: its facades are decorated only with corner towers, traditional for Spanish architecture. The harsh temper of the Spanish king is, as it were, reflected in the appearance of Escorial.

In Spain itself, the royal residence is called the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Externally, the palace looks more like a real fortress. Spread out in a vast rectangle, it has strict and symmetrical facades, and the size of the walls of the palace is 206 by 161 meters.

The walls of the building, carved with military grace, may seem monotonous and unsophisticated.

There are so many windows and doors here that all attempts to calculate their exact number are initially doomed to failure. (The most common figure is 2500 windows and 1250 doors, but this result is not always the same.)

The main work on the Escorial belongs to two architects.

The first drawings of the project were made by Juan Bautista de Toledo: there is evidence that for this purpose he studied the experience of the builders of the Roman Cathedral of St. Peter.

The continuation of the construction of the palace in 1567 belongs to the architect Juan de Herrera, who determined the final appearance of the building.

The construction of the Escorial lasted from 1563 to 1584. Philip II, whose residence later became the palace, took an active part in the implementation of the Escorial project.

The chambers of the king in the palace were placed so that directly from them the Spanish monarch could get into the church. The king chose such a strict and laconic appearance of the palace, taking care of its rich interior decoration: the chambers were decorated with many works of fine art.

Therefore, today the Escorial Palace is also valuable as an art gallery. This architectural monument has the works of such eminent masters of painting as Velazquez, El Greco, Veronese, Hieronymus Bosch and Tintoretto.

A huge solid palace - a monastery of light sandstone, strict forms, without any decorations, stucco, columns, statues strikes with its monumentality against the backdrop of the bright blue sky of Spain and the greenery of the mountains.

The appearance of Escorial opened a new style in architecture, which became quite common in Spain of those times - desornamentado (undecorated).

Lion Feuchtwanger, in his article on the Escorial, relates a legend according to which the Spaniards defeated the French at the battle of San Quentin, but accidentally destroyed the monastery of the extremely revered Spanish Saint Lawrence, who died from torment on a grate set over a fire. King Philip, in order to atone for the destruction, ordered the construction of a temple resembling a lattice in terms of plan. Four towers in the corners were supposed to symbolize her legs, and the Palace of the Infantes, prominent with its facade forward, was a handle. And such a monastery with palaces was built according to the project of Michelangelo's student Juan Batista from Toledo and his successor Juan from Herrera from 1563. by 1584

Neither on the facades, nor in the interior decoration of the royal chambers is there any ostentatious luxury and pomp of decoration. Only strict columns and statues of the Old Testament kings, elegantly executed cornice balustrade.

The view is enlivened by beautiful courtyards with intricate plantings of trees and shrubs of rich green color.

The inside of the monastery is also finished with modest gray marble. Pilasters, columns, frieze, walls of the cathedral are all in a calm gray color, but airy, light, sublime.

Only the altar, raised to a height of four floors in the main nave of the temple, decorated with marble of different colors, precious stones and jasper, illuminated through a glass lantern in the dome of the cathedral, attracts the eye.

Moreover, in the light arcade of the library, located in one of the long galleries of the palace, all the books are displayed with gilded edges towards the public, and with the spines inside, as if warning that we should not even know the titles of the works read by the king of Spain himself.

This library, if not equal in terms of collected rarities to the Vatican library, takes second place.

In Escorial, the Pantheon, magnificent in its gloom, is arranged, where all the kings of Spain are buried, starting with Charles V.

Only Philip V asked to be interred in Segovia, and even the ashes of Ferdinand IV are in the capital.

Queens who gave birth to heirs to the throne are also buried here. Opposite the royal tomb is the pantheon, where infants of both sexes and queens whose children never inherited the throne have been buried since the 19th century. It is worth visiting this solid castle of El Escorial, which contains magnificent paintings by great artists.

Paintings by Titian, Veronese, El Greco, Hieronymus Bosch, Tintoretto, Coelho, Ribera, tapestries based on Goya's sketches - you can list famous names for quite some time.

Things to Remember

• Dress warmly - this area of ​​Spain always has cold winds.
• The currency is the euro, the language is Spanish, but there are many English speakers.

Museum opening hours

• from October to the end of March from 10.00 to 17.00 (Monday closed)
• and from the beginning of April to September inclusive from 10.00 to 18.00 (day off - Monday)

When visiting the museum, before buying a ticket (a lock diagram is attached to it), you must go through a metal detector and check things.

Prices

• The cost of visiting depending on the excursion: sightseeing, educational or historical - on average, 10 Euro. You can pay by credit card.

How to get there

1. By train: Line C-8 from Atocha Station. It takes about an hour to get to the stop, which is called El Escorial. Then follow the sign "Monasterio" on foot up 100 m and then along a special path through the park. Just 15 minutes walk. The cost of round-trip tickets is about 8 euros.
2. By bus: from the Madrid Intercambiador bus station, which is located at the exit of the Moncloa metro, buses No. 661 or 664 leave every 15 minutes on weekdays, every 30 minutes on weekends. Drive about an hour. Then from the bus stop 200m on foot. The fare is 3.20 euros.
3. Renting a car will cost from 30 Euro per day, but will make you more mobile.

I have only one day left to explore the surroundings of the Spanish capital ...

The contenders for a one-day trip from Madrid included the palaces of La Granja and Aranjuez, but the soul asked for something special. I don’t want to show off, but judge for yourself, what can be surprised after our Peterhof and the Hermitage? Parks more luxurious than the first have not yet been invented (especially for the month of March!), And I visit royal palazzos like the second from an early age. But the legendary complex of the royal palace and monastery is something new. There was no doubt, Escorial was waiting for me!

How to get to Escorial from Madrid

By bus- simple and convenient. Travel time is 55 minutes, there are quite a lot of flights on weekdays, and many times less on weekends. Departure from the Moncloa bus station, where there is a direct metro line from the center of Madrid, arrival in Escorial at the local bus station (estasion de autobuses), which is a 5-minute walk from the monastery. Two buses are suitable for the trip, numbers 661 and 664, the schedule can be found by entering one or another route number. Tickets are sold directly from the driver, the price is 4.20 euros one way (as for bus trip through the 5 transport zones of Madrid and suburbs: here from A to C1). Plus 3 euros for a metro ticket to the bus station and back if you do not have a special travel card.

By train- uncomfortable and with its subtleties. Travel time is a little over an hour, departure 1-2 times per hour. The Cercanias railway, which is included in the city's metro system (), leads to Escorial. You will need the C-3 line, which passes through the Sol and Atocha stations in the center of Madrid. Interestingly, sometimes the same line is referred to as C-8, so it is important to look at the board above the platform, where the final station is indicated: on the way there - El Escorial (possibly also Santa Maria), and back - Aranjuez (or sometimes Atocha). The train schedule is on the commuter train website, but do not count on punctuality, delays happen. Tickets are sold only on the day of departure at special Cercanias ticket offices or at vending machines with the same logo railway. Price - 4.05 euros one way (as for a railway ticket for a trip through 6 zones: from zero to C1). In Escorial, the train station is located 2 km from the monastery. This distance can be walked through the park or the new part of the city (about 30 minutes), but the road climbs uphill, so the walk can be difficult, especially if it's hot or in bad weather. It’s better to drive a couple of stops on the local bus number 1 (for 1.30 euros one way), if you can find it))) This is also not easy, because there are no signs in the station area (neither to the bus, nor to the monastery), so it’s better to ask the locals, the main thing is not to get confused in the names: El Escorial is the town around the station, and the monastery is San Lorenzo de el Escorial (but for simplicity, continue to call it Escorial).

This time I had to take the train, because my fellow traveler does not tolerate buses well. At the Sol metro station closest to the hotel, we bought tickets from a machine (nothing complicated in English) and sat down to wait. However, the train did not arrive on time, and there were no messages on the scoreboard and, as it seemed to me, on the speakerphone. It was completely incomprehensible whether it was possible to walk around the city for an hour before the next train, or whether it was worth waiting. We chose the second one and were not mistaken: the train arrived in 20 minutes. In Escorial, I also had to suffer with navigation, but in the end one of the natives helped, but on the way back, the problem was already in calculating the time to the train: for some reason, the road to the station seemed endless. In general, I recommend taking the bus if possible, it's easier!

Outwardly, the Escorial looks impressive

Visiting the museum complex: organizational issues

The most important thing One thing to remember is not to come to El Escorial on Monday when the museum is closed! The rest of the time, he works from 10 to 18 or until 20, depending on the season, details at the link.

with tickets it's simple:
— common price – 10 €,
- preferential (children under 16 and students under 25, with a passport or ISIC, respectively) - 5 €,
- free of charge - May 18 and October 12 (I can imagine how many people there!) And children under 5 always.

Museum navigation- a big problem. When I asked if it was possible to get a plan of the palace along with the ticket (as, for example, they give in the Hermitage), at the box office they answered me “it is forbidden to take pictures”))) Knowledge in English in one of the main museums of the country on top! Then it turned out that such a scheme does not exist in principle, that is, wander around as you like, or take an audio guide.

Audio guide- the main part of the navigational nightmare. The cost of the service is only 3 euros, there is a Russian-language version. However, so that tourists do not try to save money and take one device for two, only one earphone is provided. So if next to you is group tour(and hardly in Russian!), then you will involuntarily listen to it with one ear. Further more - the audio guide is a (expensive?) tablet, therefore, a passport is required as a deposit for it, which, according to the rules (see the last page of the document), is not recommended to give to anyone, but I generally prefer to leave it under lock and key in the hotel and take it with me copy. As an alternative, I was offered to leave credit card))) Yes, yes, and also the key to the apartment where the money is! As a result, they agreed that they would swipe my card through the computer reader, and when the tablet was returned, they would delete its data from the system. Eh, I should have taken an empty credit card with me, but who knew?! Other deposit options are any photo ID (you can take some unnecessary pass) or hotel keys (any keys with a numbered key fob will do).

However, that's not all the fun! It turned out that such a sophisticated audio guide is suitable only as an information guide, but it is almost unsuitable for navigating the museum. All halls in the tablet are divided into thematic groups, but it is not clear how to move between these groups in reality. Due to the ill-conceived route, I randomly wandered around the complex, missing some of the important rooms. Then I had to collect "loses", but I still did not understand whether I managed to see everything or not. So it’s not for nothing that Escorial was called an architectural nightmare! Perhaps it is better to look for his scheme on the Internet in advance and spit on this unnecessary audio guide.

The main facade of the Escorial

Take pictures in Escorial is strictly prohibited, even without a flash. As it turned out later, this is a favorite rule of all the expensive museums in Madrid, but I only went, so I was not in the know. The observance of the "charter" in each hall is monitored by growling Cerberus (oh, that's who we pay a salary when buying a ticket!): I was even pestered for filming a view of the garden from the window of the palace. So if you want to take away a small photo report from Escorial, get ready for a game of catch-ups.

Comfortable conditions to inspect the halls - this is also not about Escorial. I was there in mid-March, when the thermometer showed +25 outside, but inside the complex it was wildly cold, even a jacket did not save me. It may be nice to cool off in the museum in the summer after the 40-degree heat, but the rest of the time I advise you to dress as warmly as possible in order to withstand a 2-3-hour audio tour. And my salvation was the sunny courtyard, where I had to constantly return to warm up a little.

The same sunny courtyard of the Escorial and the facade of the Basilica of San Lorenzo

What to see in museum complex Escorial

I confess, once I froze from the mere word of Escorial. The legendary and grandeur of the complex was amazing, although I didn’t really even know what was hidden inside. It turned out that this was the case when the size does not matter, the main thing is the content! And the last one just let us down, but on the other hand, I learned forever: you should not be fooled by loud names.

So, what is worth seeing and not losing (thanks to the audio guide) in Escorial?

Library- the most beautiful thing in the whole museum. They say that her wealth can only be compared with the "book sister" in the Vatican, but the main thing here is not even that, but the ceiling! An incredibly huge fresco of several hundred square meters with magnificent lighting is what attracts the eye.

tomb where almost all the kings, queens, princes and princesses of Spain are buried since 1586. Interestingly, only three tombs are now empty in the pantheon, but even those are already “booked”: they will be occupied by the last deceased members of the royal family after a 50-year wait in the “decomposition room”, as provided for by the still valid medieval tradition. It turns out that there is no place for the living monarchs, and this issue still remains unresolved!

Escorial Library

Pantheon Escorial (most beautiful part of those that were allowed to photograph)

Royal chambers- quite modest, which is clearly not expected from the status of the Escorial, but, as the "customer" of the complex, Philip II, said, he built "a palace for God and a hut for the king." Aha, so the religious part should abound in beauties!

But no! Basilica of San Lorenzo- the only part of Escorial open to the public, belonging to the monastery, however, even there everything is very ascetic, stern and even sad. Perhaps this is the ugliest cathedral I have ever seen in Spain.

Architectural and art museums - unexpectedly turned out to be more interesting than some parts of Escorial. The first exposition tells about the construction of the complex itself, and the second is an art gallery with works by such masters as Bosch, Veronese, Tintoretto, Van Dyck and others.

Royal chambers (I chose the most beautiful part of them)

I would also like to note front staircase palace and several beautiful galleries which you definitely won't miss. But what can be lost is room with a secret(it’s called something like that), the first one at the entrance from the courtyard. It looks like an ordinary walk-through room, so be sure to ask the museum staff about its features: they are always on duty there and, unlike the others, they will gladly tell you how to find the secret.

What else to see in Escorial

In addition to the palace-monastery, it is worth looking into the Garden of the Monks, which is located right under the walls of the complex. You can enter here for free, but note that the gates open on a schedule that almost coincides with the museum. At the entrance to the garden, there is a large pond with swans and goldfish, and in the farthest part, smug peacocks roam about, completely unwilling to pose for a photograph. And from here you can see the picturesque mountains of the Sierra de Guadarrama and the monastic orchards.

Garden of the Monks in Escorial, somewhere down there live peacocks

Orchards of Escorial overlooking the Sierra de Guadarrama

I have almost no doubt that after the Escorial Museum you will still have a lot of time left, so be sure to take a walk around the pretty town of the same name. Not that there are any attractions, but it is worth spending at least half an hour wandering through the cozy quiet streets climbing the hillside. By the way, along the way, you can go for a map at the local information point, which is located under the arch-bridge in the house opposite the entrance to the monastery.

Where to eat in Escorial

It is unlikely that anyone will be surprised if I say that there was also a problem with food in Escorial))) However, here fortune smiled at me and immediately led me to the right place! On Piazza Jacinto Benavente (which is on the steps), next to the Centro Coliseo bookstore, a small bistro lurks in a corner on the right, with white umbrellas standing right there on the street. As always, the menu was only in Spanish, but after the question about English, a miracle happened ... after learning where I came from, the owner of the cafe grabbed the phone and then handed me the phone: on the other end of the wire they spoke Russian with an accent and were ready to immediately translate all (!) menu))) Both "good Samaritans" turned out to be Bulgarians, and one of them still remembered what he was taught in the school of the Soviet period. Prices in the cafe, of course, corresponded to the center tourist place: a tortilla (Spanish omelet), a lomo sandwich (this is what is cooler than jamon) and two drinks cost 13 euros, but this figure included the services of an interpreter!

Escorial: to be or not to be?

After the baroque, gothic and Moorish beauties of Toledo and Segovia, El Escorial seemed just a boring boulder, both in shape and in color. The interior decoration brightened up this impression a little, but the luxurious interiors of the Serralbo Museum in Madrid and the Segovia Alcazar, of course, are still very far from the monastery. Therefore, after visiting it, I rightly thought, was it worth it to go there at all? I'll say this: if you're a big fan royal residences and have already seen the rest of the sights near Madrid, you can stop by Escorial. However, given the opportunity to replay everything, I personally would not include this place in a week-long trip to Central Spain.

Epilogue of the whole trip

In conclusion, I would like to say not very literary, but self-critical: in fact, I snickered! Again I return to what

"The eighth wonder of the world" or "architectural nightmare" is not far from. If you have not guessed yet, then we are talking about Escorial - the monastery-palace of King Philip II. To get to this famous monastery, you need to come to the town with the consonant name of El Escorial. Let's take a closer look at this majestic and very interesting place together.

Attractions Escorial

Many tourists travel to Madrid just to visit this magnificent palace, which has collected a huge number of historical values.

1. Tombs. In the mausoleum of the Escorial, you can see the remains of very famous historical figures. These include: all the kings of Spain, starting with Charles V himself (the only exception is Philip V), queens - mothers of heirs, as well as princes and princesses of the XIX century, whose children could not inherit the throne. In the mausoleum of Escorial, you can even find the burial place of Don Juan Bourbon, father of King Juan Carlos I of Spain.
2. The main cathedral of the monastery. These halls are worth a visit, if only to see the elaborately painted ceiling and expertly applied frescoes. The cathedral has 43 altars, for the decoration of which many Spanish and Italian masters had a hand. Such masterpieces of art as those located near these altars cannot be seen anywhere else! Talking about the cathedral, I really want to add the words of Theophile Gauthier, who said: “ In the Escorial Cathedral one feels so overwhelmed, so crushed, so prone to melancholy and overwhelmed by unbending strength, that prayer seems completely useless.».
3. Library. The content of the local library allows you to compare it with the Vatican. Nowhere else on earth are there such places where such a huge number of book rarities would have gathered. The manuscripts of St. Augustine, Alphonse the Wise, St. Teresa, as well as many Arabic manuscripts and cartography works dating back to the Middle Ages are stored here. By the way, in order to preserve the decorations on the bindings, in this library, many of the books are placed with their spines inside. And Pope Gregory XIII ordered that anyone who dares to steal a book from this library be excommunicated. In addition to the books here, it is also worth taking a look at the design of the room, and more specifically, at the ceiling. This ceiling was painted by Tibaldi and his daughter. They made a ceiling that would symbolize the seven sciences: dialectics, rhetoric, grammar, astronomy, arithmetic, music and geometry. And for theology and philosophy, the end walls of the library were completely devoted.
4. "Philip's tower". Once upon a time, it was from this place that the king watched the construction of the Escorial. Tourists should also go up there, because it is from here that it is noticeable that the palace is made in the form of a lattice, on which St. Lawrence the Martyr, who is considered the patron saint of the entire Escorial, was burned.

5. Museum. It was not without him in the Escorial Palace. There are two of them right here. In one of them you can get closely acquainted with the history of the construction of Escorial. See sketches, drawings, drawings and graphs. But the second museum is completely devoted to the work of the great and famous masters of the XV-XVII centuries. Among the paintings you can find works by Bosch, Titian, Veronese and many other unique personalities.

Escorial opening hours

To get into it interesting place and not come in vain, we want to inform you about the opening hours of the Escorial. It is open to visitors from 10 am to 5 pm, 6 days a week except Mondays. Entrance costs about 5 euros. When calculating the time for a trip, consider the dimensions this place, and set yourself up for the fact that you will spend at least 3 hours on this excursion.

Spain is filled with the most extraordinary and magical sights. Escorial is one of them. This is a famous palace, residence and monastery of the king. This attraction is located at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains, which is one hour from the Spanish capital city. The structure is shocking in its size and scale. Some scientists even put this building on a par with the grandiose complex. The Escorial Palace-Monastery was erected in honor of the victory of Spain in the Battle of Saint-Quentin. Then the troops of the empire defeated the French army. In that architectural ensemble includes a library, a pantheon and a palace.

The history of the attraction

Spain is proud of many ancient objects. Escorial also belongs to such attractions. It has been leading its history since the end of the summer of 1557. Just at that moment, the army of Philip II defeated the troops of France in the aforementioned battle. The battle took place on Saint Lorenzo's Day. Therefore, the king decided to build a monastery in honor of this saint. Palace Ensemble it was necessary to embody the strength and steadfastness of the Spanish monarchy and the country's weapons. The complex was supposed to remind of the great victory in Saint-Quentin. Gradually, the scale of construction became larger, and accordingly, the significance of the palace grew.

Spain greatly honors the precepts of its monarchs. Escorial was supposed to embody the commandment of Charles V - to create a large dynastic pantheon and make it one with the monastery and royal palace. The stone of the building was supposed to show the political theory of absolutism in Spain.

Philip II sent his two best architects, two masons and the same number of scientists to find a place to build a monastery. But it had to be not simple, but special: not extremely cold, not very hot, and it had to be located near the new capital. The search continued for a year, and in the end, the territory where the object is located today was chosen. This is one of the most interesting facts about Escorial.

The purpose of the monastery

From all other monarchs, King Philip II was distinguished by his love for Saint Lorenzo, self-absorption, melancholy, poor health and great piety. The king had been looking for a long time for a place where he could relax and not worry about the pressing problems that reigned in the largest empire in the world. Philip II wanted to be surrounded not by personal subjects and courtiers, but by monks. Escorial became such a refuge.

Spain, whose sights we are considering, is generally rich in various monasteries. Escorial was supposed to play the role of not only the residence of the king, but also - and most importantly - the monastery for the order of St. Jerome.

The monarch said that he wanted to build, first of all, a palace for the Lord, and only then - a shack for himself. Philip did not want his biography to be written during his lifetime. He decided to write it himself and capture it not on ordinary paper, but in stone. Thus, Escorial displayed the victories and defeats of Spain, the chronology of troubles and deaths, the royal passion for art, prayers and teachings, as well as the management of the empire. The central location of the cultural monument embodies the ruler's belief that politics should be guided by considerations of a religious nature.

Construction

Most Outstanding architectural masterpieces It was Spain that placed it on its territory. The Escorial is incomparable proof of that. The first stone in its foundation was laid in 1563. Construction work was carried out for 21 years. The architect was Michelangelo's student Juan Bautista de Toledo. In 1569, Juan de Herrera became the new architect. It was he who took up the final finishing work. The ensemble is an object of almost square shape, in the center of which there is a church. A monastery was located in the southern wing of the complex, and a palace with a huge courtyard occupied the northern part.

King Philip followed the design and construction of Escorial most carefully. Architectural style was incredibly important to him. So, the building belongs to the archaized Renaissance architecture. Thus, the monarch tried to emphasize the European significance of his state and the separation from the past Middle Ages.

Interesting facts about interior decoration

The palace-monastery of Escorial (Spain) is distinguished by its chic interior decoration. The best materials were used to create it. And all the work was done by the best builders and craftsmen. Woodcarving was carried out in Cuenca and Avila, an order was sent to Milan for sculptural sculptures, and marble was delivered from Arsena. In Zaragoza, Toledo and Flanders, silver and bronze items were made.

Modern Escorial

The castle-monastery of Escorial (Spain) is a very complex ensemble. In addition to the monastery itself, it has a cathedral, a theological school and a palace. If you describe this attraction in numbers, then it has more than 16 courtyards, 86 stairs, one thousand windows facing outward, and one and a half thousand windows facing inward. The perimeter of the building reaches seven hundred meters. Huge blocks of gray granite were used to build the walls of the complex. They give the design both a sad and majestic look.

Luxurious decoration interior spaces and all other objects smoothes the external severity of the sights. The walls of the chambers are decorated with paintings and frescoes, sculptures and antiques.

A little about the premises

Escorial Castle in Spain has many wonderful rooms. Let's briefly consider the most interesting of them. For example, private royal chambers. You can find them on the third floor. They are distinguished by underlined modesty of decoration. The bedroom has a small window overlooking the church. Since the king suffered from gout, he could, without leaving his room, attend the service.

The Escorial Tomb, or the Pantheon, is the place where all the monarchs of Spain rest.

The library is magnificent and chic. In terms of the number and value of books and ancient manuscripts, it is second only to the Vatican. Here, one-of-a-kind manuscripts are preserved, which have no price, for example, the manuscripts of St. Teresa of Avila and St. Augustine and many other writings.

At the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama, an hour's drive from Madrid, is ancient palace and the Escorial Monastery (Monasterio de El Escorial). At first glance, the building impresses with its grandeur, but not everyone has an unambiguous reaction. Some called Escorial "an architectural nightmare", others - "the eighth wonder of the world." Now Escorial - cultural heritage Spain, a major museum and architectural heritage.

The date of the beginning of the history of Escorial is August 10, 1557, when the Spanish army of King Philip II defeated the French invaders. The victory took place on the Day of St. Lorenzo, from which comes the full name of the monastery - San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The construction of the palace lasted 21 years from 1563. The first architect was a student of Michelangelo - Juan Bautista de Toledo.

Historically, Escorial is also the tomb of almost all the kings of Spain, starting with Charles V, father of Philip II. The only exceptions are Philip the Fifth and Ferdinand the Sixth, who was buried in Madrid.

The rectangular escorial, measuring 208 by 162 meters, includes 13 chapels, 9 towers, 16 patios, 15 galleries, 300 cells, 86 stairs, 9 organs, 1200 doors, 2673 windows. On the north and west sides of the monastery is big square « lonha", and to the south and east stretch the gardens of the castle, revealing great views around Madrid.

Escorial became a haven for two "New Museums". One of them contains exhibits relating to the history of the construction of the palace - drawings, sketches, construction tools or models of the elements of the Escorial. The second museum houses valuable works of art from the 15th-17th centuries. The collection of paintings was founded by the founder of Escorial, Philip II, which was continued by his heirs. Among the paintings of the museum are the works of Bosch, Tintoretto, Veronese, Van Dyck, Titian, El Greco. Thanks to their passion for art, the Habsburgs, who have amassed a worthy collection, are considered patrons of the culture of their time.

However, the most attractive place in Escorial is its library, which is second only to the Vatican. The manuscripts of Alfonso the Wise, Saint Augustine and Saint Teresa are kept here. In addition, the library has a collection of Arabic manuscripts, the largest in the world, as well as illustrated collections of hymns and works on cartography, natural history since the Middle Ages. It is noteworthy that in this library, the only one in the world, the books are placed with their spines inside in order to better preserve the bindings, however, many copies of the books have now been replaced by copies.

Not far from Escorial is another attraction of this region - the Valley of the Fallen - an impressive monument in memory of those who died during civil war Spain.

You can order a tour of the ancient sights of Spain, including the Escorial Monastery, with the company "Spain in Russian". The Escorial is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00. The Escorial Gardens close an hour early. The cost of a complete entrance ticket is 10 euros, preferential - 5 euros. In addition, there are hours and days of free visits.