Monastery of San Lorenzo De El Escorial

The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial was built in the latter half of the 16th century by King Philip II of Spain, to commemorate his victory over the French at the battle of San Quentin. Housing a monastery, two palaces and a library, the complex was intended to serve all the functions of church and state. The magnificent interior houses numerous works of art as well as 40,000 volumes in the library that was founded by Philip II himself. The monastery is famous for its symmetrical design, with four towers marking each of the monastery's four corners, and for being the resting place of the remains of many Spanish kings and queens in the Baroque Royal Pantheon.