Convent in Escorial in Spain
Rating: 7,9/10 (3294 votes)  The monastery in El Escorial is located near the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains and is an architectural complex of great historical and cultural importance for the country. It includes: the monastery, the residence of the ruler of Spain Philip II, and the royal palace. The road from Madrid to the monastery by car takes about an hour. This complex has earned many flattering epithets from connoisseurs of architecture. It is considered by many to be the `` eighth wonder of the world. '' Construction work on the construction of the monastery began in 1557 during the reign of the Spanish king Philip II and lasted for more than two decades. The site was chosen very well: it is not too hot, not too cold, and besides, not far from the capital of the country. The architect of this grandiose architectural project was Juan Bautista de Toledo, who studied under the famous Michelangelo. During his lifetime he did not manage to finish work on the complex, and after his death he was replaced by the talented architect Juan de Herrere, who managed to embody bold artistic ideas in the interior decoration. The monastery church is located the royal pantheon, where the remains of many of the rulers of Spain, including Charles V, rest. Opposite the royal pantheon is the pantheon of princes, where many heirs to the Spanish throne are buried. The interior decoration of the church is striking in its magnificence: slender jasper and marble columns are interspersed with marvelous images of scenes from the life of Jesus Christ, located on the walls. The monastery library, which contains a collection of Arab manuscripts, the rarest works from the field of cartography, and natural history, is of great cultural value. The books are displayed here with the spines inward, in order to preserve the ancient bindings. A similar method of storing literature is used only here. The ceiling painting of the library was intended to symbolize various sciences, including astronomy, rhetoric and geometry. The complex has the shape of a rectangle. In its southern part there are monastic buildings, in the northern – palace, and in the central part there is a church. The monastery complex includes fifteen galleries, sixteen courtyards, thirteen chapels, nine towers, and over three hundred monastic cells. From the west and north, the monastery in Escorial is surrounded by a wall, and from the south and east - picturesque gardens, from where you can enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of the outskirts of Madrid.     We also recommend reading Flea markets and flea markets in Tunisia Topic: Convent in Escorial in Spain. |
