El Escorial - Monasterio de San Lorenzo del Escorial Royal Palace Palacio Real

Particularly impressive, in the administrative palace of El Escorial, is the Bourbon Suite. A staircase reconstructed by Villanueva in the 18th century leads up to the state apartments of Charles IV and Maria Luisa of Parma on the third floor. They contain valuable furniture and porcelain of the 18th century, but their principal treasures are 338 tapestries, some from the Santa Bárbara manufactory in Madrid, some from Flemish workshops. They depict scenes from popular life (some after cartoons by Goya), allegories and hunting scenes (after cartoons by Teniers, Wouwerman, Bayeu and Maella).

In the northeast corner of the administrative palace of El Escorial is the Sala de Batallas, 55m/180ft long and 7m/23ft high, with paintings commissioned by Philip II of the principal battles of the Reconquista and the victories won during his reign.

The Museum of Architecture, in the east basement of the administrative palace, displays prints, models, apparatus and original plans illustrating the building of the Escorial.

In a series of rooms in the palace are housed the Nuevos Museos, in which pictures and objets d'art from all over the palace and monastery have been brought together. They consist of a Museum of Architecture and a Picture Gallery.

The Picture Gallery, in the basement story of Philip II's private apartments, the so-called Summer Palace, has a large collection of fine paintings, only a few of which can be mentioned here. In the first two rooms are works by Hieronymus Bosch ("The Crowning with Thorns"), Gerard David, Quentin Metsys, Marinus van Reymerswaele ("The Money-Changers") and Albrecht Dürer. In the next two rooms are Titian ("Last Supper", "St Jerome in Prayer"), Guido Reni, Tintoretto and Veronese. In the adjoining rooms are works by José de Ribera and Diego Velázquez ("Joseph's Robe"). Two rooms in the administrative palace contain important works by El Greco, including "The Martyrdom of St Maurice" (a representation of the saint's martyrdom which displeased Philip II).

The Hall of Battles leads into the private apartments of Philip II, laid out round the Patio de los Mascarones (Court of Masks) at the east end of the church. The most interesting rooms are the Alcoves of Philip II, from which he had direct access to the church and in which he died on September 13, 1598; the "Cell of Philip II", with Hieronymus Bosch's "Hay Wain" (possibly a copy) and eleven watercolors attributed to Albrecht Dürer; the Throne Room; and the apartments of the Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia.