El Escorial, Madrid

August 10, 1557, the day of St. Lawrence. Philip II's troops defeated the French at Saint Quentin, Flanders, and destroyed the holy fast. At this place the king decided to build a monastery in honor of the saint. Conceived as a monastery and built as a combination of a royal pantheon, a monastery and a palace, fulfilling his father's dream, Philip II managed to turn his idea into an architectural expression of Spanish absolutism. 
He relied on the mastery of architects Juan Batista and Juan de Herrera and attracted the great Italian decorators Pablo Tribaldini, Luca Cambiazo and F. Castello, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 45 km. northwest of Madrid, the king erected the Royal Palace and Monastery in San Lorenzo de El Escorial. A spectacular monumental complex with architecture in unison with the strict character, great piety and gloom of Philip II.
El Escorial is built in the form of a grill, and behind this idea are two beliefs. The first is that the form is borrowed from the hot iron grill on which St. Lawrence was tortured. The second states that the plan is based on the plan of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. The statues of David and Solomon in front of the entrance to the basilica and the frescoes in the El Escorial Library give additional weight to this theory.
The foundations of El Escorial were laid on April 23, 1563, and the last stone was laid on December 13, 1584. It was built entirely in the style of Renaissance architecture, away from the care and power of the empire and ensuring the king's solitude surrounded by monks. Wood carvings made in Cuenca and Avila, marble carved in Arsena, sculptures made in Milan and bronze and silver from Toledo, Zaragoza and Flanders were used. 
El Escorial simply responded to the order to combine “simplicity in construction, rigor in general, nobility without arrogance, grandeur without ostentation.” The strict façade of the palace marked the beginning of a new architectural style of disormentation, meaning “without ornaments”.
The majestic complex includes the Basilica of San Lorenzo el Real - a unifying center, a kind of expression of the conviction of Philip II that any political endeavor should be guided by religious considerations. Beneath its altar is the Pantheon of Kings, and in its chapel can be seen a unique crucifix by Benvenuto Cellini. 
The library of the El Escorial Regia Laurentina is located directly opposite the Great Basilica, from which it is separated by the great Court of Kings. Decorated with magnificent frescoes, the Battle Hall tells of the most important victories of the Spanish troops.
A collection of tapestries depicted on Goya's canvases is on display today at the El Escorial Palace of the Bourbons. Also of interest is the Pantheon of Princes, in which the bodies of princes, princesses and queens who did not give birth to a Spanish king are laid, as well as the School and Monastery of St. Lawrence - the main center for the training of faithful to the Catholic Church fathers.
The El Escorial Monastery houses one of the largest reliquaries in the Catholic world with over 7,500 relics. In 1984, El Escorial was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Built with poor ornamentation, with clean and strict forms, standing out from the surrounding green background with a strict, slightly repulsive, but impressive and majestic appearance, El Escorial is one of the most popular landmarks.