The escorial

The Escorial

The Escorial is in Madrid (Spain). The architect is Juan de Herrera, who built it between 1563-1584. At this time Felipe II was reigning. This project had multiple functions like: palace, monastery, a center of culture and art, etc. This work is the most important Spanish classical architecture that, belongs to the Mannierism period.

This building is rectangular, surrounded by gardens. It is dominated by a large temple whose main chapel stands the rectangle. It has a facade movement with slight gains of the inputs into the monastery. The building is full of windows to bring light. We can also say that this is itself a monumental Baroque movement. The ornamentation of the walls is reduced to the trim that frame the building elements and the piramidiones.

The plant of this project is divided into three courts, one temple, rooms, one school and one convent. In the interior of this work we find a lot of paintings and altarpieces figures all made with quality materials but they seem to be very good.

The Escorial is also announcing the Mannierism because it is true to the aesthetics of the Counter-Reformation in its close connection between art and political and religious power.