Philip II did not build himself a royal palace: he built himself a monastery, with a basilica, a library and the tomb of the kings of Spain inside it, and, wrapped around the high altar, a palace for himself. It is El Escorial, on the slopes of the Sierra de Guadarrama, about fifty kilometres from Madrid. It took twenty-one years to build, from 1563 to 1584, and by the end of the 16th century it was already being called the eighth wonder of the world.
The monastery is closed on Mondays, and you must buy your ticket in advance, online or at the visitor centre opposite the north façade. The official ticket costs 14 euros. On Wednesdays and Sundays, from 15:00, entry is free for citizens and residents of the European Union and for citizens of Latin America.
Is El Escorial’s ground plan really shaped like a gridiron?
A vow and a will
On 10 August 1557, the feast of Saint Lawrence, Philip II’s army defeated the French at Saint-Quentin, his first victory as king. The monastery is dedicated to Saint Lawrence, and tradition links it to that battle. But Philip also had an obligation: in his will of 1558, his father, Charles V, had asked him for a new place to be buried with the empress.
A commission of physicians, architects and stonemasons went looking for the site. When you arrive you understand why they chose this slope of Mount Abantos, more than a thousand metres up: for the air, the water, the firewood and the granite quarries. The first stone was laid on 23 April 1563; the design was by Juan Bautista de Toledo, and after his death in 1567 it was carried forward by Juan de Herrera.
A gridiron by chance
Yes, but by chance. The plan, a rectangle of 205 by 162 metres, with four towers at the corners and the king’s palace jutting out like a handle, recalls the gridiron on which Saint Lawrence was martyred. That is why it has always been said that it was drawn this way in his honour.
But the shape only appeared when Herrera closed the main façade with the library and eliminated six of the planned towers. Scholars think the model was rather the Temple of Solomon, as described in the Bible and by the historian Flavius Josephus.
The library
Why does a king leave his library to the monks, and not to his children?
Probably because of the model of Solomon, the wise king of the Bible: Philip II wanted to make it a centre of learning. He put his own manuscripts here, instead of dividing them among his palaces and leaving them only to his heirs, and had entire libraries bought in Spain and abroad. Today there are more than 40,000 volumes.
The hall is 54 metres long, 9 wide and 10 high, with a marble floor and wooden shelves designed by Herrera.
Look up: the frescoes on the vault, by Pellegrino Tibaldi, depict the seven liberal arts, including Astrology, which was then the name for astronomy.
The basilica and the Pantheon of Kings
The basilica was finished in 1586, two years after the rest of the building. You enter it from the Patio de Reyes, and the basilica on its own does not need a ticket; during religious services, however, it is closed.
Beneath the high altar is the Pantheon of Kings: Philip III had it rebuilt, and it holds twenty-six marble tombs. The kings and queens of Spain, Habsburgs and Bourbons, rest here, with a few exceptions.
The king’s room
Where did Philip II sleep?
In rooms furnished with restraint, next to the altar. Philip II’s palace is as austere as he was; the bedroom has a window that looks directly onto the high altar of the basilica, and when gout kept him from getting up, the king followed Mass from his bed. Today you visit the royal apartments and the Hall of Battles.
The Hall of Battles is a gallery 60 metres long. Walk along the south wall: in a single continuous scene runs the Battle of La Higueruela, won by the Castilians against the kingdom of Granada in 1431. On the north wall, divided by the windows, are the scenes of the war with France of 1557-1558, including Saint-Quentin.
Practical information
Details checked on 30 October 2026 on the official ticketing website of Patrimonio Nacional. Prices and opening hours change: check again before you travel.
El Escorial makes more sense alongside the Prado, where works Philip II had collected here ended up, starting with Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights. In Madrid, the Royal Palace is the palace of the Bourbons who came later. And for the kings’ paintings that rotate among the royal sites, there is the Royal Collections Gallery.
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons, by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
