Explore El Escorial, one of Spain’s most impressive historical sites just outside Madrid. From its grand architecture to rich ...

Built at the end of the 16th century on a plan in the form of a grill, the instrument of the martyrdom of St Lawrence, the Escurial Monastery stands in an exceptionally beautiful site in Castile. Its ...

Unesco-listed San Lorenzo de El Escorial was fulfilment of Philip II’s dream of raising monastery in a ‘desert’ Despite perching imperiously on a mountainside near Madrid for the better part of five ...

'Spain has an ambiguous attitude to its history' observes Robert Elms when he visits El Escorial. 'Its golden ages are also its dark past. But this often troubled tale, soaked in both blood and glory, ...

So, can you tell us a little about this place? An imposing example of Spanish Renaissance style, Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, an unmissable landmark, was once the royal residence of ...