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Photo: Turismo Madrid Consorcio Turístico from Madrid, España, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
It was commissioned by Felipe (Philip) II as a mausoleum for his father Carlos V. The site when completed in 1584 included a basilica-church, monastery, royal household and library. Felipe II, his parents Carlos V and Empress Isabel of Portugal, and virtually all Spanish kings as well as all queens who reigned in their own right or gave birth to kings are buried in a royal mausoleum downstairs. After the planned burial of the late Juan de Borbon and his late wife (parents of king-emeritus Juan Carlos) there will not be any space left for future monarchs to be buried here. Highlights include: The Basilica, with two great cenotaphs by the high altar: for Felipe II and Emperor Carlos V. The Pantheon of Kings, below the Basilica, is a remarkable royal burial chamber. The Gallery of Battles commemorates battles from Felipe's military campaigns. The Chapter Houses hold paintings from Tintoretto, El Greco, Titian and others. El Greco's painting of "The Martyrdom of St. Maurice". The Library and its frescoed vaulted ceiling.
The Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, also called Monasterio de El Escorial 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 from the town of El Escorial and about 45 kilometres (28 mi) northwest of the Spanish capital Madrid. Built between 1563 and 1584 by order of King Philip II, 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.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Philip's Saddle
This is a small granite platform in the Bosque de la Herrería, in the forest, some 4 km south of El Escorial, from where it's said Felipe II and his wife used to watch the construction of the Monastery. Offers excellent views of the mausoleum, the Sierra de Guadarrama, and the Madrid plains.
Valley of the Fallen
This site hosts the world's largest free-standing Christian cross (visible from dozens of kilometres away), Franco′s tomb, and a memorial to Catholics (both on Franco's side and opponents) killed in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). Construction was ordered by Franco and erected on rocks through the forced labour of many Republican prisoners of war. You'll need your own transport: the entrance gate is on the main highway to El Escorial, with frequent buses from Madrid, but then there's the 6 km park road through pine forest up to the memorial. The monument is not uncontroversial in 21st century Spain and there used to be pro-Franco demonstrations on November 20th, the anniversary of the death of Franco and Primo de Rivera (both buried here) until the "Historical Memory Law" of 2007 outlawed them. In October 2019 Franco's mortal remains were removed despite much controversy and efforts by Franco's heirs (both literal and figurative) to block the move. There are plans to turn the site into more of a "documentation center" akin to the former Nazi Party Rallying Grounds in Nuremberg, but as the site is owned by the Catholic Church, this has proven complicated. See 20th-century Spain for context.