the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is set to undergo a major transformation. With £5million in EU funding, visitors will soon gain access to previously hidden parts of Philip II ...

The historic royal monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, near Madrid ... Some 35 miles from Madrid, the religious complex fulfilled Philip II of Spain’s (1527-1598) - who was once married ...

The construction of the Escorial, one of the largest palaces in Europe commissioned by King Philip II in the mountains above Madrid, was begun in 1563, almost 100 years before the Red Fort.