Testament to Spain’s golden age to open up its secret spaces after a multi-million euro revamp.
El Escorial, 35 miles north-west of Madrid, was the fulfilment of Philip II’s dream of raising a monastery in a “desert”, far from people and other buildings, almost 500 years ago. Built between 1563 and 1584, Philip II’s austere monument to power, piety and patronage is now undergoing a major reorganisation that will allow visitors to enjoy the peace of a previously off-limits monastic patio and to look at paintings once reserved for the royal gaze.
The two-year project, made possible by €6.5m ($6.7m) of EU funds, aims to reintroduce visitors to the 33,327 sq metre (358,728 sq feet) site, a hulking testament to the imperial and cultural might of Spain’s golden age.
“It was an incredible feat of work and it shows humanity’s ability to create something in the middle of nowhere,” says Luis Pérez de Prada, head of buildings and environment at Spain’s national heritage institution, Patrimonio Nacional.
Although El Escorial is hardly an unknown destination - it received more than 450,000 visitors last year - Pérez de Prada and his colleagues are keen to offer people a fresh perspective, literally and metaphorically.
The most immediately obvious change for visitors will be the point of entry. Instead of going in through the side, visitors will come in through the Patio of Kings, an imposing courtyard that instantly gives a sense of the vast scale and strength of the complex.
For the first time, visitors will also be able to wander around the monastery’s Patio of the Evangelists, a tranquil garden of fountains and statues with a cupola at its centre that echoes the great dome of the basilica.
The other significant elements of the reorganisation are to be found in the dormant painting and architecture galleries, which are being reopened and revitalised to display the commissions and acquisitions of four monarchs (Philip II, Philip IV, Charles II and Isabel II) and include works by Titian, El Greco, Velázquez and Tintoretto.
In 18 months, once all is completed, visitors will be able to explore a little more of Philip II’s desert dream.