ESCORIAL MONASTERY:
El Escorial Monastery gave rise to the term Herrera style architecture, thanks to its creator Juan de Herrera. It has been declared a World Heritage Site.
Philip II used this Royal Residence as a pantheon for his family. Building work began in 1563, under the direction of Juan de Toledo. After his death, Juan de Herrera took up the reigns and completed the work in 1584. The building has been made with granite rock and is divided into three vertical sections, with the Kings Courtyard in the centre.
There are four towers on the sides of the building, which measure 55 metres tall and have been adorned with round metal balls at the top. There are several rooms within the building which include Ministries, a welcoming room, a religious service room, and a Prince and princesses room that are all joined together by several arches. The church has a Greek-cross base and the chapel, holds the funeral monuments of Charles V of Spain and Philip II. The library also deserves special mention, and lies on the second floor of the west wing, in which there are around 45,000 books dating back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
It was declared a Historic-Artistic Site in 1971 and in 1984 it became a World Heritage Site. The architecture of this building was designed by Juan de Herrera, and gave rise to a style known as Herrera style. A large scale building with 15 cloisters, 13 oratories, 86 staircases, 88 fountains, over 1600 paintings, 9 towers and 73 sculptures.
