El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, or Monasterio de El Escorial, is a historical residence of the King of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 2.06 kilometres (1.28 mi) up the valley from the town of El Escorial and about 45 kilometres (28 mi) northwest of the Spanish capital Madrid. Built between 1563 and 1584 by order of King Philip II, El Escorial is the largest Renaissance building in the world. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, basilica, royal palace, pantheon, library, museum, university, school, and hospital.
A distant view of the Royal Site
El Escorial: floor plan, based on the floorplan of Solomon's Temple
Courtyard of the Kings and the Basilica.
El Escorial. View from the northwest
San Lorenzo de El Escorial
San Lorenzo de El Escorial, also known as El Escorial de Arriba, is a town and municipality in the Community of Madrid, Spain, located to the northwest of the region in the southeastern side of the Sierra de Guadarrama, at the foot of Mount Abantos and Las Machotas, 47 kilometres (29 mi) from Madrid. It is head of the eponymous judicial party. The settlement is popularly called El Escorial de Arriba, to differentiate it from the neighbouring village of El Escorial, also known as El Escorial de Abajo.
San Lorenzo de El Escorial
View of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, on the slopes of Mount Abantos, from the Silla de Felipe II [es] (Seat of Philip II). In the foreground, the Monastery of El Escorial.
Plaza de la Constitución. In the background, the Monastery.
La Herrería forest located at the foot of Mount Abantos
![View of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, on the slopes of Mount Abantos, from the Silla de Felipe II [es] (Seat of Philip II). In the foreground, the Monas](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/San_Lorenzo_de_El_Escorial_view.jpg/640px-San_Lorenzo_de_El_Escorial_view.jpg)
