Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid World Heritage Site

Official name: Monastery and Site of the Escurial, Madrid | UNESCO
Country: Spain | Map
Continent: Europe
Location: San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Province and Autonomous Community of Madrid
40.5817° Lat, -4.1264° Lon | Map
Code: 318
Time Zone: Europe/Madrid (CEST, +0200)
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Category: Cultural
Description: Inscribed 1984. 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 austere architecture, a break with previous styles, had a considerable influence on Spanish architecture for more than half a century. It was the retreat of a mystic king and became, in the last years of Philip II's reign, the centre of the greatest political power of the time.