The Monastery of El Escorial gave rise to the Herrerian architectural style, created by Juan de Herrera. It holds the designation of World Heritage site.
Philip II used this Royal Site for his family pantheon. Construction work began in 1563 under Juan de Toledo, and on his death was continued by Juan de Herrera, who completed the building in 1584. It is built in granite and divided into three areas. The central area is the Kings' Courtyard.
There is a tower at each of its four corners measuring 55 metres, each crowned by a metal sphere. The compound includes the Ministries, Casa de los Oficios artisans' houses, the Compaña –where the company was quartered–, and the apartments of the Infantes and Queen, all connected via arches. The church is laid out in the shape of a Greek cross and there are funerary monuments to Charles V and Philip II in the main chapel. The library is also of particular interest. It is on the second floor of the west wing, and contains close to 45,000 documents from the 15th and 16th centuries. It was designated a Historic-Artistic site in 1971 and received the World Heritage designation in 1984. The building was designed by Juan de Herrera and gave rise to an architectural style known as Herrerian. It is a substantial construction, as can be seen from its 15 cloisters, 13 oratories, 86 staircases, 88 fountains, more than 1,600 paintings, nine towers and 73 sculptures.The Monastery is also home to the Escolanía de El Escorial, one of Spain’s most important and long-established choirs. Founded in 1567 by order of Philip II, the choir consists of 45 boys and young male singers.Painting and Architecture MuseumsAfter being closed for ten years due to renovation work, the Painting and Architecture museums at the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial are set to reopen in 2026. To mark the reopening, both museums can be visited free of charge—without the need to purchase a general monastery admission ticket—until 31 December, 2026. The Museum of Painting displays around a hundred works by great masters from the Italian, Flemish and Spanish schools, including Titian, Tintoretto, Paolo Veronese, Van der Weyden, Luca Giordano and José de Ribera, among others. The Museum of Architecture provides an insight into the key aspects of the monastery's design and construction—elements that made this complex one of the great architectural projects of the Early Modern period and established it as a landmark both within and outside Spain.
