Mystical place in spain - escorial. Escorial Day Trip from Madrid
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The Escorial Monastery is a monastery, palace and residence of King Philip II of Spain.
Located an hour from Madrid at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama.
Construction
The history of Escorial begins on August 10, 1557, when the armies of Philip II defeated the French at the Battle of Saint-Quentin in Flanders. It happened on the day of St. Lorenzo (San Lorenzo), and Philip II decided to erect a monastery in honor of this saint.
The new palace complex was supposed to embody the strength of the Spanish monarchy and Spanish weapons, reminiscent of the Spanish victory at San Quentin. Gradually, the plans grew, as did the significance of the structure.
It was decided to embody the testament of Charles V - the creation of a dynastic pantheon, and also, by combining the monastery with the royal palace, to express in stone the political doctrine of Spanish absolutism. The king sent two architects, two scholars and two masons to find a site for a new monastery that would not be too hot, not too cold, and not too far from the new capital.
After a whole year of searching, they ended up where Escorial is now.
In addition to his passion for St. Lorenzo Philip II was distinguished by self-absorption, melancholy, deep religiosity and poor health. He was looking for a place where he could rest from the cares of the king of the most powerful empire in the world.
He wanted to live surrounded by monks, not courtiers; in addition to the royal residence, El Escorial was to become, first of all, the monastery of the order of St. Jerome. Philip II said that he wanted to "build a palace for God and a shack for the king."
Philip did not allow anyone to compose his biography during his lifetime: in fact, he wrote it himself, and wrote it in stone. The victories and defeats of the empire, the succession of deaths and tragedies, the king's obsession with learning, the arts, prayers and statecraft - all this is reflected in the Escorial.
The central position of the huge cathedral symbolizes the king's belief that all political actions should be guided by religious considerations.
The first stone was laid in 1563. Construction lasted 21 years. The main architect of the project was at first Juan Bautista de Toledo, a student of Michelangelo, and after his death in 1569, the completion of the work was entrusted to Juan de Herrera, who owns the ideas of the final finish.
The complex was an almost square building in the center of which there was a church, to the south - the premises of the monastery, to the north - the palace; each part had its own courtyard.
Philip followed all stages of design and construction. Of great importance from a conceptual point of view was the choice architectural style. Philip II needed to emphasize the break with the medieval past and the European significance of his state. This requirement was most consistent with the style of archaized Renaissance architecture.
For interior decoration, the best materials were used and the best craftsmen of the peninsula and other countries were assembled.
Wood carvings were made in Cuenca and Avila, marble was brought from Aracena, sculptural work were ordered in Milan, bronze and silver products were made in Toledo, Zaragoza, Flanders. December 13, 1584 was laid the last stone in the building of the complex. After that, artists and decorators took up the work, among whom were the Italians P. Tibaldini, L. Cambiaso, F. Castello and others.
And after the completion of construction, Philip II did not leave Escorial with his worries. Here he collected a large number of works of Spanish and European painters, valuable books and manuscripts were brought here. Already after the death of Philip II, the collections continued to be replenished by his heirs, and now the Escorial keeps the works of Titian, El Greco, Zurbaran, Ribera, Tintoretto, Coelho.
The chambers of the king, in contrast to the luxury of large military halls and the gloomy splendor of the pantheon, were decorated extremely simply. Brick floors, smooth whitewashed walls - this was more in the traditional spirit of Spanish dwellings and, moreover, corresponded to the created image of Philip the Monarch.
Architecture
Escorial brilliantly embodied the ideas embodied in it. Erected from light sandstone in clear and strict forms, it rises against the backdrop of mountain greenery as calmly and confidently as Philip II looks at us from the portrait of Coelho.
It is amazing that the shape of each of the buildings corresponds to its purpose: the simplicity of the royal chambers, the bright and high interior of the church, the light structure of the arcades in the library, the gloomy splendor of the tomb.
Inner courtyards with greenery, as it were, cut the stone and let in mountain light to rest. No wonder Philip II loved his brainchild so much. Here he ordered to transport him at the approach of death.
Escorial became a model of palace complexes, which was imitated or repelled by subsequent Spanish kings.
The Escorial is a 208 x 162 m rectangle. It has 15 galleries, 16 patios (patios), 13 chapels, 300 cells, 86 stairs, 9 towers, 9 organs, 2673 windows, 1200 doors and a collection of over 1600 paintings.
Some believe that the building is shaped like an overturned brazier in memory of St. Lorenzo, who was roasted alive.
The northern and western walls of the monastery are surrounded by a large square called lonha (Spanish: lonja), and on the southern and eastern sides are gardens, from where great view to the monastic fields, orchards and the environs of Madrid beyond them.
This view is also admired by the statue of King Philip II in the Frailes Garden (Spanish: Jardin de los Frailes), where the monks rested after their labors. To the right of the garden is a convalescent gallery.
Museums
There are two large New Museums in the Escorial. One of them presents the history of the construction of the Escorial in drawings, plans, construction tools and scale models.
In the second, in nine rooms, canvases of the 15th-17th centuries are kept. ranging from Bosch to Veronese, Tintoretto and Van Dyck, as well as artists of the Spanish school.
The Habsburgs are therefore considered the greatest patrons of the arts of their time. The artists of the Flemish school and Titian, the court painter of Charles V, are especially well represented.
Pantheon
One of the goals of Philip II's construction of the El Escorial was to create a mausoleum for his father, Emperor Charles V, whose remains were transferred here in 1586.
However, the magnificent pantheon in bronze, marble and jasper was built in the crypt of the church only under Philip III in 1617.
The ashes of all the kings of Spain, starting with Charles V, are buried here, except for Philip V, who could not stand the gloom of Escorial and asked to be buried in Segovia, and Ferdinand VI, whose grave is in Madrid.
Queens who gave birth to male heirs are also buried here. Opposite is the Pantheon of Princes, erected in the 19th century, where princes, princesses and queens are buried, whose children did not inherit the throne.
Two tombs in Escorial are empty. The last to be buried here was the only non-king who was so honored - Don Juan Bourbon.
His son and the current King Juan Carlos I, and indeed the entire people of Spain, felt that he deserved such a token of recognition for his support of democracy under Franco and his renunciation of the throne in favor of his son for a peaceful transfer of power.
Cathedral
While some illustrious visitors raved about the magnificence of the Escorial, others were rather overwhelmed by the grandeur of the cathedral.
The French writer and intellectual Théophile Gautier wrote:
“In the Escorial Cathedral one feels so overwhelmed, so crushed, so prone to melancholy and overwhelmed by unbending strength, that prayer seems completely useless.”
The frescoes on the ceiling and along the 43 altars were painted by Spanish and Italian masters. The main retablo (behind the altar) was designed by Escorial's architect Juan de Herrera himself; between the jasper and marble columns are paintings of scenes from the life of Christ, the Virgin Mary and saints.
On the other side are royal places and sculptures of Charles V, Philip II and their families at prayer.
Library
The Escorial Library is second only to the Vatican and houses the manuscripts of St. Augustine, Alfonso the Wise and St. Teresa.
It houses the world's largest collection of Arabic manuscripts, illustrated hymnbooks and works of natural history and cartography since the Middle Ages.
This is the only library in the world where books are placed spines inside to better preserve the ancient decorations of the bindings.
Pope Gregory XIII declared that anyone who stole a book from here would be excommunicated. Now most of the books on display are copies of the originals.
Ceiling painting by Tibaldi and his daughter. symbolizes the seven sciences: grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music. The end walls are dedicated to the two main sciences, theology and philosophy.
During the reign of the Bourbons, part of the living quarters was rebuilt and two small palaces were erected near the monastery, used as hunting and guest houses.
The well-known Spanish Arabist Conde served in the Escorial library.
Video. Escorial
Escorial
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Helpful information
Escorial
Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial
Spanish El Escorial
Cost of visiting
€8 + €3 audio guide, without which they will not be allowed into the pantheon.
Opening hours
- oct–march
- Tue-Sun: 10.00-17.00
- Apr–Sep
- Tue-Sun: 10.00-18.00
- Closed on Mondays
Quotes
According to the plan of Philip II, Escorial was built as "a palace for God and a cell for the king."
In the Escorial Cathedral one feels so overwhelmed, so crushed, so prone to melancholy and overwhelmed by unbending strength, that prayer seems completely useless.
— Théophile Gauthier
How to get there
Both buses and trains run from Madrid to Escorial. Travel time is no more than an hour.
It is more convenient to get on the bus, since the bus station is located almost in the very center of the city, while from the railway station you have to walk 15 minutes. on foot, or wait for the bus (the stop is literally 20 m from the station).
electric train
Timetable at renfe.es, line C-8 from Atocha station. The stop is called El Escorial and at the sign Monasterio go upstairs, straight ahead 100 m and through the park, a special path leads there. Total walk 10 minutes. Price €6.40.
Bus
Timetable at ctm-madrid.es, Madrid Intercambiador bus station, above Moncloa metro station, bus 661 or 664, travel time about an hour, price €3.20 per person. On weekdays, buses leave every 10-15 minutes, on weekends every half an hour. The palace is about 200 meters away.
El Escorial
Near the ensemble of the Escorial monastery, the city of El Escorial arose.
The population according to 2003 data is about 13 thousand people.
The Escorial Palace Monastery, located in the town of San Lorenzo near Madrid, is deservedly recognized as one of the most mystical places in Spain. Someone calls this building - "the eighth wonder of the world", someone - "architectural ugliness", but no one remains indifferent to Escorial - the resting place of the Spanish kings. The building of the complex has always been perceived by people as contradictory, the very place of its construction evokes some kind of mystical delight, and sometimes horror. There are many legends associated with Escorial, which you will learn about in our story.
Legends about the construction of Escorial
Guides say that the construction of the palace was dedicated to St. Lorenzo or St. Lawrence in the Russian interpretation, the shape of the building symbolizes the brazier on which this saint was roasted alive. There is also a local legend about the reason for the appearance of Escorial. It says that the monastery appeared, oddly enough, because of ... Lucifer. This rebellious angel, at a time when he had not yet been expelled from heaven, loved to travel through the sinful earth, where he decided to create seven Gates of Hell. The location of one gate, just had to highlands Sierra de Guadarrama. After this, for many centuries mystical place it was considered cursed, but one day the king accidentally drove here. And since he was a very pious man, he immediately felt that something was wrong. He called famous architects and even alchemists, ordering to consecrate this place and cleanse it by erecting the Escorial monastery here, the huge gates of which were supposed to keep the devil from penetrating the earth. By the way, a few years after the construction of the building, rose violent storm, lightning struck the monastery and part of it caught fire, and the old people said that in the raging flame one could see the raging figure of the devil, throwing lightning at the monastery gates. The watchmen of the premises of the palace said that sometimes, in the cellars, a hellish howl is heard, disturbing the soul! locals they say that until now, it can be heard, especially in inclement weather.
History of the Escorial
So let's get back to earth. The beginning of the construction of the Escorial dates back to the reign of the Spanish King Philip II. In 1557, his troops utterly defeated the French at the battle of St. Quentin, in Flanders, but in the heat of battle they destroyed the monastery of St. Laurence, who was revered, because he was a Spaniard by birth, and even more, he was revered for his stamina at his cruel, martyr's death, he was roasted alive. And so, King Philip, in order to atone for his guilt, decided to build a temple, but one that had never been built before. Escorial was supposed to become the personification of the instrument chosen by God for the martyrdom of St. Lorenzo - the lattice. The Escorial was supposed to be a massive quadrangle, in the form of an inverted lattice, where the four corner towers would symbolize four legs, and the Palace of the Infantes protruding slightly forward - a handle. The place for the construction of Escorial was chosen in the northwest direction from, only forty-five kilometers from it. This complex was conceived in such a mystical place as a necropolis for the repose of the Spanish monarchs, combined into one with royal palace and a monastery. Juan Baptiste de Toledo began to build the Escorial in 1563, although he died during the construction process and Juan de Herrero continued his work.
It should be noted that the king from birth was rather melancholy, constantly immersed in himself and very religious, and also very weak in health. That is why he wanted to find a place for himself where he could take a break from problems and worries, and also live not surrounded by flattering courtiers, but monks. He said that Escorial should not be so much a royal residence, but rather a monastery of the Order of St. Jerome. When you visit this mystical place in Spain - Escorial, you involuntarily become convinced that the royal plans really came true, everything turned out exactly as he said: "Escorial is a Palace for God and a small shack for the King of Spain." The palace complex is a real biography of King Philip in stone, everything is here: his victories and defeats, tragedies and deaths, a strong obsession with art, learning and prayer, the authoritarian rule of Spain - everything is reflected in the Escorial. Its power and coldness from the outside, the splendor inside and the underlined modesty of the decoration of the king's private royal chambers, located on the third floor. The bedroom has a small window overlooking the church building, so that the king, in his old age, suffering from gout, could attend the service without leaving the premises of his bedchamber. The chambers of the king - became his place for reflection and strengthening the spirit for a righteous struggle. The only decoration of the royal bedroom is the painting “The Garden of Earthly Delights”, by Bosch, there are no more decorations here. The royal office is more like a monk's cell, even his throne was a camp chair of his father, who accompanied Charles V on military campaigns.
The main façade of the Escorial overlooks a rectangular patio - the “Court of the Kings”, which got its name due to the placement on the upper tier of pedestals with six giant statues Old Testament kings, whose support Philip II, who tirelessly fought against heresy, wanted to enlist. He said that he worthily continues the glorious work of the kings of Israel of antiquity: the wise King Solomon, the brave King Saul and other kings. The size of the outer walls of Escorial is 161x206 meters. It is truly huge and makes a tremendous impression. The interior decoration of Escorial is the best materials that were brought here from different parts of the world: woodcarving was performed in Avila, Cuenca; sculptures were made in, marble was taken in Aracene, bronze and silver products were made by masters of Flanders, well-known decorators and artists, including L. Cambiaso, P. Tibaldini, F. Castello, took upon themselves the design of the interior decoration.
Tomb of Escorial
Escorial's tomb is probably the most mysterious and a bit creepy part palace complex and the final resting place of Spanish monarchs. For a long time this part of the premises could not be completed; The groundwater. I had to start draining the foundation to complete the tomb.
Pantheon of Kings
In the Pantheon of the Spanish kings, the remains of almost all of them, starting with Charles the Fifth, found their resting place. The Pantheon has a hexagonal shape with four-tier burials - twenty-six gilded marble-jasper sarcophagi. The location of the tomb is right under the altar of the basilica. Not buried here is King Philip V, buried in Spanish Segovia, Ferdinand VI, buried in Madrid, Amadeo of Savoy, buried in Turin. The last king to be buried here was Alfonso XIII. With the kings are the sarcophagi of the wives who became the mothers of the kings. Those wives who failed to give birth to kings were buried in the Pantheon for the Infantes. There are exceptions: - Queen Isabella II, buried with her husband Francis of Bourbon - the prince consort, who became the father of the king; - Queen Isabella de Bourbon, she did not become the mother of the king, but is buried here, since her son, heir to the throne, died much later than her.
He is buried in the Pantheon with his wife, Dona Maria, and the grandfather of the current King of Spain, Philip, Don Juan de Bourbon. But it’s not worth looking for his tomb, it’s too early ... You ask - how is it, because the king is dead, why is his sarcophagus not there? And here it is necessary to tell one more feature of the burial place of the Spanish kings. The fact is that before the royal remains are lowered into a permanent tomb, for fifty years, they must lie in the room adjacent to the Pantheon - "pudridero" - "decomposition room", where in special lead urns, they must completely decompose, only then they are placed in ceremonial tombs. The tradition, founded in the Middle Ages, is alive to this day, and specially trained monks monitor the process of decomposition of bodies. The Escorial has two "decomposition rooms": one for kings, the other for princes. It's a little creepy to be in this place, after detailed stories guide. But back to kings. You will say that don Juan and his wife should not have been placed in the Pantheon, since in fact they were not - due to the Spanish Revolution, the emergence of the Second Republic, the expulsion of Alfonso XIII from the country. But, the father of the current king, Juan Carlos the First, who also abdicated in favor of his son, decided that in this case it was possible to go against tradition by burying his father among the kings, and the entire Spanish people warmly supported him. In the “decomposition room”, there is still a third urn with the ashes of Victoria Eugenia von Battenberg - the mother of don Juan, the great-grandmother of the current king, who was the wife of the exiled king Alfonso XIII. And although she did not become the mother of the official king, don Juan was recognized as the king, which means that she will be buried in the Pantheon of Kings. It is for them that the three remaining empty tombs in the Royal Pantheon are intended. Where will the members of the royal family now live while it is open.
Pantheon of the Infantes
Pantheon of the Infantes - is the burial place of the children of kings who did not become kings and wives whose children could not become kings. There are a lot of tombs in this pantheon, much more than in the royal one. Well, this is quite obvious, because the king could have many queens, at that time wives often died during childbirth and from other diseases, but only one could become the king’s mother, and the problem of infant mortality in those days was very acute. You will most likely be surprised to see a huge, cake-like, marble mausoleum for the burial of princes and princesses who did not live to adulthood. The beauty of skillfully executed sculptures, and the tragedy of the place, jar a little, everyone who is here. Indeed, the most mystical place of the Spanish Escorial. Until now, the funeral of kings adhere to the old traditions. When the funeral procession approaches the Escorial gate, the most distinguished member of the procession should knock, then from the small barred window the monk will ask: "Who has come?" The answer should be heard: "The king has come!" Then the gates will open and the monks will take away the royal body so that it disappears from the mortal world forever.
Escorial Library
The library of the Escorial Palace is considered very extensive, it is inferior in the number of books, manuscripts, maps, only to the Vatican library. The very premises of the library are worth close attention: the bright painting of the ceiling, walls, brushes by Tibaldi and his daughter catches the eye. Here are depicted allegories of sciences, arts - rhetoric, dialectics, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music, grammar, theology, philosophy. Along the walls are huge glazed cabinets with unique books: from Arabic manuscripts, the fifth century and the collections of the Moroccan sultan Zidane Abu Maali, ending with medieval works in the field of cartography, history, medicine, a mass of church literature, almost forty thousand books, three thousand manuscripts, including absolutely unique - the manuscripts of St. Augustine, St. Teresa of Avila. What is interesting and a little unusual, all the books are spine to the wall. Since ancient times, they have tried to preserve the rich decorations of the bindings. Not exactly logical, right? Indeed, in order to find out what kind of book it is or to find the necessary one, you need to pull out more than one copy. The only explanation is that few kings read, most often he simply collected books and nothing more. By the way, Pope Gregory XIII at one time even issued a bull about this library, which said that anyone who dares to steal a book from here is automatically excommunicated from the church. The center of the room is dedicated to large globes and astronomical instruments. Where are they from and why did the Spanish kings need them? - it is not known, perhaps someone was fond of studying the starry sky, or they used to stand in classrooms where the Spanish infantas studied various sciences.
It is worth saying that in the Spanish Escorial a huge number of works by European, Spanish painters were collected, the collection of works was constantly replenished by the heirs of the first king-owner of the palace. Now here you can see the paintings of El Greco, Titian, Ribera, Zurbaran, Coelho, Tintoretto and other masters.
Escorial Gardens
Passing through the numerous halls, corridors and stairs of the Escorial, you involuntarily feel a sense of its grandeur. But less magnificent are the monastery gardens, which are located in the eastern and southern parts behind the building. Stepping out into the courtyard, you are surprised at the peaceful views that open up: well-groomed monastic fields, fruit trees and mountains that turn blue on the horizon. The gardens are laid out in the form of outlandish figures, transformed into bizarre labyrinths that wrap around fountains. The gaze falls on a lovely pond where ducks and swans swim peacefully.
Escorial School
The Escorial complex is a multifaceted place where there is not only a functioning monastery (which tourists are not allowed into), a palace, a cathedral, but also a school that is still operating. During the tour, sometimes you hear the students singing or you see how during the break they play football, right on the square in front of the Escorial. Previously, this school was theological, but now it is ordinary, not religious, with a very high level of teaching, to get here to study is considered very prestigious.
visit San Lorenzo del Escorial, as it is called this complex you can buy a ticket for ten euros. After that, you need to go through strict control: they will search you with a metal detector, go through the frame, stick sticky paper on your hand or on your clothes so that the guards know that you did not enter the territory on your own and for free, they will give you a strict order that it is forbidden to take pictures inside the Escorial. While the guide will take you around interior spaces, a strict guard will walk behind the group, and there will be more than one in the large halls, but all these strictnesses are only because the Escorial - this truly huge palace, library, museum, monastic complex - is on the UNESCO list and is subject to vigilant protection. Of course, small inconveniences are nothing compared to the grandeur of the idea of building a building. Highly recommend to visit this mysterious place, since it is difficult to convey in words the delight and attractiveness of it.
First of all - simplicity in construction,
severity in general;
nobility without arrogance,
grandeur without ostentatious luxury ...
From the instructions of King Philip to the architect of Toledo
How to get there
many Italian and Spanish painters. There are even more Bosch and his students here than in the Prado.
Unlike the Prado, where all the inscriptions accompanying the canvases are in Spanish, in the Escorial, a stand with information is attached to each hall.
At some point, the pictures end and we follow the signs to the famous "Battle Hall", or, as it is also called the "Halberd Hall".
“... I took four steps and found myself on a wide gallery: its ceiling and walls were decorated with frescoes depicting battle scenes, and from the furniture there was only a desk with an ink set on it and an armchair. Nine windows overlooking the inner courtyard gave me enough light so that I could see a canvas hanging on the far wall, depicting the fight between the Christian knights of old times with the Moors, and all the details of weapons and harness were written out in great detail. Then, for the first time when I was in the so-called "Battle Gallery", I could not imagine to what extent these paintings, glorifying the past triumphs of Spain - loud victories at Iguruela, Saint Quentin and Tercer - as well as the rest of the palace, would become familiar to me."
In addition to the Battle Gallery, where we looked at the canvas for at least half an hour, you can also hang out in the map room, examining maps of the then known world, on which, for example, there is no France yet, but there are Flanders and Burgundy. Yes, and Russia is also on some maps.
The hall where portraits of the Habsburgs hang is also good - even if you don’t know that they are all entirely representatives of the same family, it is immediately noticeable: branded bulging eyes and a protruding lower lip - numerous family marriages did not benefit the descendants. In the reception hall, doors made of seventeen types of wood, donated to the Spanish king by Maximilian of Austria in 1567, attract attention.
Unique work - that's why they are protected by armor-piercing glass. From the bedroom of Philip II and adjoining rooms very beautiful views to the gardens of Escorial.
“And the gardens, really striking the imagination, formed into outlandish figures, bizarre labyrinths went around a dozen fountains where water babbled. Gust protected north wind the façade of the monastery palace itself, along the walls of which jasmine and rose hips curled on tapestries, they went off in lovely terraces to the southern wing, opening the view to a pond where ducks and swans swam. From the south and west, mountains rose in greenish-gray-blue masses, and in the east far, as far as Madrid, boundless pastures and royal forests stretched.
It is often written that the king's bedroom, where he died, strikes with asceticism. Well, I don’t know how many castles and palaces I have visited in my life, everywhere the private chambers of nobles and kings were much more modest than the main halls, glittering with gold, paintings, marble or something else. A bedroom is like a bedroom, frankly speaking, not a cell. But right from it, the king could go straight to the church, and when he was no longer able to get out of bed, the bed was moved to the window through which the monarch could be present at all services.
There is also a solar line in the map hall - a metal strip on the parquet that goes to the window, and at the end of it there is a coat of arms and the letter F. This is a special device: once there was a special hole in the wall of the room through which the sun penetrated into the room, into noon the sun was exactly on this line, and thus the clock was checked in the palace. The letter F stands for King Ferdinand VI, under whom this thing was made.
Pantheon of the Kings
The tomb of the kings of Spain, starting with Charles V, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, looks like 26 gilded marble-jasper sarcophagi placed in 4 rows. It was built exactly under the altar of the basilica.
Only Philip V, who is buried in Segovia, Ferdinand VI, whose grave is in Madrid, and Amadeo of Savoy, who found peace in Turin, were not buried here. King Alfonso XIII was the last to be buried here. Next to the kings lie the wives who became the mothers of the kings. Other wives are buried in the pantheon of princes (infantes). The exception is the only queen since the time of Philip II - Isabella II, who is buried with her husband Francis Asis de Bourbon, the prince consort who became the father of the king; the second exception is Queen Isabella de Bourbon, who did not become the mother of the king, but was buried here because her son, heir to the throne, died much later than her.
“Our queen was beautiful. And a Frenchwoman. She was the daughter of the great Henry IV, was twenty-three years old, white skin, a dimple on her chin. Although the greatness of her majesty was tempered by natural intelligence and subtlety, anyone would immediately say that she was born to reign: this foreigner sat on the Spanish throne as easily and comfortably as her relative Anna of Austria, sister of Philip the Fourth and wife of Louis the Thirteenth - on the throne French. When the inexorable course of events led to a fight between a decrepit Spanish lion and a young Gallic wolf - it was decided who should be the ruler of Europe - both queens, brought up in the strictest concepts of duty and honor, determined by blue blood, without hesitation and hesitation supported their august husbands, and the interests of the new fatherlands were perceived as their own. So the harsh times that were not slow to come gave rise to a curious paradox: we, the Spaniards, who were ruled by a Frenchwoman, cut with the French, who were ruled by a Spaniard. Damn it, what unexpected knees are broken off by politics and war.
Having read in advance that he was buried here with his wife, Dona Maria (Doña María de las Mercedes), the father of the current king, Don Juan de Borbón, who abdicated in favor of his son, I searched for his tomb for a long time and unsuccessfully, but in vain. Only after delving into the sources on this issue, it became clear that he seemed to be buried in the pantheon, but at the same time not yet in it itself: the adjacent room with the pantheon is a room called pudridero in Spanish, or in our opinion, “decomposition room” (however creepy it sounds): there, in special lead urns, the remains of the last deceased king and his wife are stored for 50 years, it is believed that after this period the bodies completely decompose and then they can be moved to the front tombs . There are 2 such "decomposition rooms" - for kings and for the pantheon of princes. Only the monks of the monastery, which is still active in Escorial, have access to them.
Don Juan and his wife will be placed in the pantheon of kings, although in fact they never were king and queen - due to the revolution in Spain, the Second Republic and the expulsion of Alfonso XIII from Spain. Nevertheless, the current king decided to go against tradition and bury his father among the kings, and the Spanish people supported him - it’s clear to everyone that de jure don Juan was still the king of Spain, although he refused the throne. The third urn in the “decomposition room” is the ashes of Victoria Eugenie von Battenberg, mother of don Juan and grandmother of the current king, wife of the exiled king Alfonso XIII. Although she never, strictly speaking, became the mother of a king, she would also be buried in the pantheon of kings - as the mother of don Juan, who was recognized as king. It is for the three of them that the three remaining empty tombs in the royal pantheon are intended. The question of where the now living members of the royal family will be buried is still open. Apparently, the Spaniards, who visited the pantheon at the same time as us, were engaged in the discussion of this issue - very loudly and irreverently.
Further tourists are offered to visit the so-called Pantheon of the Infantes. Not only the children of kings are buried there, but also those wives whose children did not become kings. An example, when the queen was the mother of the heir, and was buried in the royal pantheon, but in the end her son did not become king, is discussed above - they decided not to touch the ashes of Isabella de Bourbon. I wonder if the queen died, and her son suddenly became king, because all the other heirs also died from various misfortunes - would they have reburied?
There are many more tombs in this pantheon than in the royal pantheon, which is understandable - there were many queens, the king’s mother was one (for example, Ferdinand VII had, judging by the tombs, 3 wives, and 2 of them are buried in the pantheon of the Infantes, nearby), yes and infant mortality was high in those days. Perhaps the most memorable is the huge cake-shaped marble mausoleum for princes and princesses who died before adulthood.
Involuntarily, we recalled the tomb of the Habsburgs in Vienna in the Kapuzinerskirche, where in the dungeon, where your steps resound, artsy and dusty tureen-tombs sadly stand. It is felt there that all this is the past, history, and in the tomb of Escorial it is somehow felt that there will still be burials here, and this is a little creepy.
Basilica of San Lorenzo el Real
In the Escorial Cathedral you feel so overwhelmed
so broken, so melancholy
and crushed by unbending strength,
that prayer seems completely useless.
Theophile Gauthier
The Basilica of San Lorenzo el Real is not in the form of a Latin cross, as was originally intended, but in the form of a Greek one, where all sides of the cross are equal in length. The dome of the basilica was made in the image and likeness of the dome of St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome (Juan Battista de Toledo was a student of Michelangelo), but if all of San Pietro is the triumph of the Renaissance, then the basilica, commissioned by the stern king, is severe, ascetic, majestic. Only the space behind the altar is richly decorated, a retablo in Spanish, 28 meters high: gilding, three-tiered painting, bronze sculptures by Leone Leoni. Note the kneeling statues of Charles V, his son Philip II and their families in prayer, also by Leoni. It was precisely this splendor that the king could observe directly from his chambers, without getting up from his bed. By the way, according to the king’s idea, the murals were supposed to be done by Michelangelo and Titian, but both masters were already over 80 by that time, and Michelangelo died in 1564, a year after the construction of the palace began, and Titian dissuaded himself with poor health and refused to come. Therefore, the paintings on the ceiling and behind the altar were made by less venerable European masters.
http://www.wga.hu/art/c/coello/sagradaf.jpg
In addition to secular art, the decoration of the basilica and the monastery are church treasures, namely about 7.5 thousand relics in 570 reliquaries, made by both Juan de Herrera himself and his assistant Juan de Arfe Villafañe. "... 1515 cancer and arks stood there, they kept 10 whole skeletons that belonged to saints and martyrs, 144 skulls, 366 tibia and radius bones, 1427 individual fingers." Lion Feuchtwanger
From the basilica, you can go to the so-called "Courtyard of the Evangelists" (Patio de los Evangelistas), decorated with sculptural images of the evangelists.
Library
For a snack inspecting the palace - the library of the palace, second only to the Vatican. However, first you pay attention to the bright painting of the ceiling and end walls, which was made by master Tibaldi and his daughter. Allegorical images of sciences and arts symbolize rhetoric, dialectics, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music and grammar, end walls are dedicated to theology and philosophy.
Along the walls there are large glazed cabinets where unique books are stored - from Arabic manuscripts of the 5th century and the collection of the Moroccan sultan Zidan Abu Maali (1603-1627) to works on cartography, history, medicine, church literature published in the Middle Ages. The library is said to hold approx. 40 thousand books and approx. 3 thousand manuscripts. Of course, you will notice that the books stand with their spines against the wall - the decorations of the bindings were taken care of in such a peculiar way. I wonder how then they were looking for the right book - pulling everything out of the pages? Even assuming that the librarians had catalogs and descriptions of what was where, this process was laborious and cumbersome. However, it can be assumed that the kings did not read, but only collected books, then everything is simplified. At one time, Pope Gregory XIII issued a bull, where he wrote that anyone who stole a book from here would be automatically excommunicated from the church. In the center of the room are globes and astronomical instruments - it is true that one of the kings dabbled in the study of the starry sky, or they were transferred from classrooms where infants were taught various sciences.
Leaving the palace, we went to a sun-drenched square called lonja, where the children who studied at the school at the local monastery were actively having fun. If you stand facing the entrance to the school and the monastery, then on the right side there will be an excellent view of the Escorial.
The statue of King Philip II in the Frailes Garden (Jardin de los Frailes) admires this view of the work of his hands, where you can see monks strolling. And our goal was to find the famous "Philip's chair", where the king watched the construction of the palace.
Philip's armchair
Opposite the entrance to the palace, where the cash desks are located, in the depths of the city blocks there is a travel agency. We took a map of the city, although we were interested in something else - how to get to the Armchair. Auntie in the travel agency was surprised at the question of tourists, quickly understood what was required of her, and began to quickly, quickly draw on the map, explaining how to go. In English, they call this place Chair, in Spanish - Sella (well, suddenly you will be carried there too). We returned to the college and the monastery, went down past the gardens of the palace and, guided by the sign, stomped along the highway. After about 15 minutes, it became clear that we were going somewhere in the wrong direction: there were only cottages around, and there were no traces of how this chair looked like in our imagination.
I must say right away that, in my understanding, the place from which the king watched the construction of the palace, and which is called the "king's chair", looked like a tower with observation deck at the top, no more and no less. That's what they looked for. Sensing something was wrong (well, that is, that we were going in the wrong direction), we jumped up to the handsome seigneur and carefully asked if he spoke great and powerful English. That day we were lucky: absolutely all the Spaniards interviewed spoke English, and the seigneur nodded in the affirmative. Having learned about the purpose of our trip, he offered to take us a little to the place, on the way having a small talk with us about Russia, about how we like Spain, about an unusually cold winter (it was about +16 outside). Actually, after we went down from the square in front of the palace, we didn’t have to go to any highway, but we had to go in the direction of the golf courses. Through park area there is a path from the pointer, so we had to stomp along it. The seigneur brought us to this path, explained that it would take another 10 minutes to walk, to the “traffico zone”, that is, a busy road, and from there you can already see where to go.
The “traffic zone”, which I imagined at least the Moscow Ring Road, turned out to be really a highway, along which a car passed about once every 15 minutes. Crossing the highway, we went deeper into the forest. On the way to the right you will have a gray church, in front of it there are bench tables and a stone fountain.
There is a poster nearby, behind this poster you need to go deeper into the forest. Hiking trails and there were no signs, we walked at random, there was only moss and stones under our feet, branches crunched. It was getting dark. Bigger stones began, even bigger ones, real boulders, on which we began to climb. For some reason, I remembered the beginning of the film "The Brotherhood of the Wolf", when the aunt runs away from this very wolf, which was actively hamstering the peyzan. When something crunched behind me, I flew like a bird to the nearest boulder and looked around warily. And lo and behold, Escorial was perfectly visible from this very boulder.
The thought was born - what if the king did not build a tower from which he looked at the palace, but took advantage of the fact that all the construction was perfectly visible from this forest and from the huge stones standing on the hill?
Then our task changed - we needed to find the highest stone on this mountain and check it for the possibility of taking the king there. After about 20 minutes, it became clear that we had found what we climbed into this forest for - there was a pile of boulders in front of us, and one of them really had a recess in the middle, it was just convenient to put an armchair for the king. That the place was not easy, was confirmed by several cans of Coca-Cola, thrust into a crevice between the stones, while the forest was very clean. So, there are people here ... And the views from here to the mountains, the surrounding forest and the palace are really exceptional! So I imagine how the king, sitting on a boulder on a folding chair, looked through a telescope at the palace under construction.
It was already getting dark, and we decided to jump to the station. Wandering along the way also to a horse farm located nearby and finding that it is a private property, we reached the highway and did not take the left road, which would lead us to the palace, but the right one - this way, in our opinion, it was faster to the station. Asking along the way the aborigines who had taken their bulldogs and great danes to the local wastelands to walk, we went to the barrier, turned right after it, then left, went forward and after about a kilometer and a half we came to the very path, lit by lanterns, which leads from the palace through park to the train station. I really liked the communication with one don, who, apparently, had not practiced English for a long time, but explained to us where to go, he was quite sensible, and so, when he realized from our faces that we understood him, he even stuck out the tip of his tongue with pleasure and closed his eyes - helped! By the way, the audience in Escorial is entirely respectable, decent, emigrants are not visible at all. Probably an elite area, private development.
And already getting on the train and looking out the window at the towers of the Escorial, illuminated by lanterns, I thought that, probably, the Escorial is the most striking monument of the once mighty Spain, the ruler of half the world, an empire over which the sun never set ...
“At that time we had not yet completely fallen into insignificance, we still kept afloat for some time, our soldiers had not yet been transferred and the last coppers were rattled in the treasury. Holland hated us, England feared us, the Ottoman Porte was wary, France gnashed its teeth in impotent rage, the Holy See received with great honor our ambassadors, dressed in black, invested with special powers and full of consciousness of their own significance, and all the rest of Europe, barely hearing the heavy the tread of our infantry regiments - they had no equal in the whole world at that time - trembled with horror, as if Satan himself beat the drum to which they walked. And you really believe the person who survived both these years and those that followed them: there is no one to put on a par with us then.
The story about Escorial uses fragments from Arturo Perez-Reverte's book The Cavalier in the Yellow Jacket.
- 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 concise appearance 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, is 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.
The only exception to the burial rules for the respect that the people of Spain had for him was the father of the current king of Spain, Juan Carlos I, Don Juan Bourbon. He was neither king nor prince of the blood.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- Renting a car will cost from 30 Euro per day, but will make you more mobile.
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 Saint Lorenzo, from which the full name of the monastery comes - 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 northern and western sides of the monastery there is a large 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, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is noteworthy that in this library, the only one in the world, 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 full entrance ticket is 10 euros, reduced - 5 euros. In addition, there are hours and days of free visits.
