El Escorial, the famous Spanish monument, is located 43 miles northwest of Madrid. Built between 1563 and 1586, was built by King Philip II of Spain with several objectives: to commemorate the triumph over the French at the Battle of San Quentin in 1557, have a cemetery to bury his parents, Charles V and Isabel of Portugal, and his entire dynasty, create a real house and establish a cultural center for the religious. The project accounted for the architect Juan Bautista de Toledo, who directed the works until his death in 1567, continuing the construction Juan de Herrera. On a floor of 208 by 162 meters of surface rise four stories and each of its angles is a tower 55 meters high. The Renaissance-style façade and main entrance consists of two bodies of Doric and Ionic columns. Among the units highlights a basilica, the royal apartments, the convent and library, in addition to the Patio de los Reyes, the Court of the masks and the Patio of the Evangelists.
Among the treasures are home to El Escorial manuscript collection of the Library of Prints and Masterpieces of Painting Museum, such as Dürer, Bosch, Titian, Il Tintoretto, El Greco, Diego Velazquez, Francisco de Zurbaran and so on.
The basilica of El Escorial, consisting of three naves and a dome 95 meters high, is decorated with works by famous artists, like Leo Leoni, who made the sculptures praying Charles V and Philip II with their families.