Spain · UNESCO World Heritage series, 4th issue, Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

El Escorial is located northwest of Madrid at the foot of the Sierra de Guadarrama. King Philip II commissioned the construction of the extensive complex from 1563 onward. The work was initially directed by Juan Bautista de Toledo and, after his death, continued primarily by Juan de Herrera. Construction was essentially completed in 1584. The clear geometric layout, largely unadorned façades and use of granite shaped the architectural style named after Herrera, known as *Herrerianismo*.

The complex combines several functions: it was a royal residence, monastery, basilica, educational institution, library and burial place. The religious community living there originally belonged to the Hieronymites; today, the monastery is cared for by Augustinians. Philip II used El Escorial at times as his seat of government. The building thus closely linked the Spanish monarchy with the Catholic faith and the Counter-Reformation.

The dedication to Saint Lawrence is associated with the Battle of Saint-Quentin in 1557. The Spanish victory fell on the saint’s feast day. According to tradition, Lawrence was tortured to death on a gridiron. For this reason, the ground plan of El Escorial is also often interpreted as an allusion to a gridiron; whether this was actually the builders’ decisive intention, however, remains disputed.

The complex includes an extensive historical library as well as the Royal Pantheon. Numerous rulers from the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties are buried in its crypts. El Escorial is therefore both a religious site and a place of remembrance of the Spanish monarchy.

UNESCO added the “Monastery and Site of the Escorial, Madrid” to the World Heritage List in 1984. The coin issue belongs to a Spanish series that has featured UNESCO World Heritage Sites located in the country successively since 2010. The choice is therefore not explained by a single anniversary, but by this ongoing numismatic programme.