San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Mountain municipality and cultural center in Sierra de Guadarrama, Spain.
San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a municipality on the southern slope of Monte Abantos at 1,032 meters elevation in the Community of Madrid. The old town spreads around the monastery, while newer neighborhoods climb up the mountainside.
Philip II founded a royal monastery here starting in 1563, transforming the site from a small settlement into an administrative center. The complex served simultaneously as residence, pantheon and library for the Spanish crown.
The library preserves manuscripts dating back to medieval times, including illuminated codices and early scientific works. Visitors can today view part of this collection in halls beneath painted vaults.
The town center lies just a few minutes' walk from the monastery and offers shops and restaurants along narrow lanes. Buses on route 664 and trains from Madrid bring travelers to the center in under an hour.
Beneath the basilica rest 26 marble sarcophagi holding remains of rulers from the Habsburg and Bourbon houses. The chamber was designed so that each sarcophagus fits individually into a niche.
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Valley of Cuelgamuros
5.5 km
Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
393 m
Royal Crypt of the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
420 m
Pantheon of the Infantes of the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
420 m
Silla de Felipe II
2.7 km
Casita del Príncipe
1.3 km
Mount Abantos
2.6 km
Library of the Monastery of El Escorial
410 m
Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial and Escorial
2.1 km
Casita del Infante
1.2 km
La Granjilla de La Fresneda de El Escorial
4 km
Funicular of Valle de los Caídos
5.2 km
Church of San Bernabé
1.9 km
Paraje Pintoresco del Pinar de Abantos y Zona de La Herrería
1.8 km
Prado Nuevo
2.8 km
Teatro Real Coliseo de Carlos III
204 m
Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid
393 m
Pietà
5.5 km
Arboreto Luis Ceballos
1.7 km
Embalse de Los Arroyos
8.1 km
Royal Basilica of San Lorenzo de El Escorial
421 m
El Campillo, El Escorial
6.2 km
Real Club de Golf La Herrería
1.6 km
Pontifical Basilica of the Holy Cross
5.5 km
Casa real de Monesterio
9.7 km
Casita del Infante
1.2 kmTomb of José Antonio Primo de Rivera
5.5 km
Museo Cocheras del Rey
236 mDiscover hidden gems everywhere you go!
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