El Escorial (Real Monasterio De San Lorenzo De El Escorial) Spain - Travel Video.

DVD. Global Treasures. 10 Minutes. Around fifty kilometres northwest of Madrid, the austere yet opulent residence of El Escorial extends up the southern slope of the Sierra De Guadarrama. It was built during the rule of King Phillip II after his father Karl V ordered him to build a magnificent church in which he would eventually be buried. The Escorial was to be a pantheon for the Spanish aristocracy and also served as the country's new centre of authority. In rooms such as the Pudridero the significance of El Escorial as a burial place is evident. King Phillip II required that the exterior of the building should be plain and simple in contrast to the interior with its unusual works of art and priceless treasures. The impressive art museum contains an exclusive collection by important artist such as Titian, Tintoretto, Rubens, Van Dyck, Hieronymus Bosch, Vel?zquez and El Greco. In the royal pantheon, the Pante?n De Reyes, lie the coffins of eleven Spanish monarchs. The splendid marble coffins with their golden inscriptions add both dignity and elegance to this burial place. Philipp II was not only a larger-than-life tyrant, he was also an educated man who supported science and the arts. El Escorial was his most significant bequest to Spain.