El Escorial

Although we keep the thought filed back in the corner of our minds, most of us plan on doing something nice and memorable for our parents when they die, in order to honor their life. We plan funerals and celebrations, start traditions, buy headstones, coffins, spread ashes, and with today's technology even make videos and photo-books. In the mid sixteenth century, el Rey Felipe II of the Spanish empire had the same kind of idea for his parents, only his plan was a little more extravagant. Felipe's grand idea was to build El Mausoleo de los Reyes (Mausoleum of Kings), that would house all the remains of all Spanish monarchs from Carlos I up to Alfonso XIII, with the exception of the first king of the house of Borbón Felipe V and his son Fernando VI. But that's not all, this room stacked with marble coffins held up by golden lion's paws, is only a small part of the magnificent temple of El Escorial.

We left Segovia for the first time today to tour the monastery, but only had time to see the highlights of the building that at 207 meters long by 161 meters wide, contains 9 towers, 88 fountains, 16 outdoor patios, 2,673 windows, and 1,200 doors. The temple was constructed in the honor of San Lorenzo, in order to commemorate the Spanish victory over the French in the Battle on San Quintín and to show gratitude to the saint who shared that date of August 10th. San Lorenzo, who was martyred by being burned alive on a grill, is pictured outside, his symbol, the grill, by his side. Because photography was prohibited, and we were confined to taking pictures outside, there is no way to show you the sheer beauty of the church, the library, and all the rooms whose ceilings bore large scale paintings of Christian images that seemed to take on a third dimension and come to life. However, no photograph would have sufficed.


Of all the rooms in the temple, the one that affected me the most was El Mausoleo de los Reyes. Opposite the stairs in this circular room, was a gold sculpture of the crucifix that floated under Hebrew words that Sam translated roughly as "Christ sees high over his kingdom." The ceiling was adorned with golden flowers and a chandelier hung with intricate designs of children playing among bunches of grapes. The green marble boxes of each ruler was engraved in Latin stating the king or queen's name whose bones occupy the inside. It took a minute to sink in, but I soon realized, I was standing in the same room as the royal family of Spain, taking up the same space as men and women so powerful that they shaped the history of the entire world, and I was surrounded by dozens of kings and queens. If you have ever felt at a funeral, a certain electricity running through your veins, that tells you that the person inside the coffin is still very much alive, multiply the voltage you experienced by a thousand; that was the charge I got standing in that room.

There are three chests that remain unnamed, although their occupation has already been planned. The remains of Juan de Borbón, father of current king Juan Carlos I, and one more monarch, can be found in the pudridero, the rotting room. This special room, off to the side, serves one purpose: to house the remains of monarchs that must rot completely, a process of around thirty years, so that just the bones can be carefully placed in their proper resting place.

A symbol of the power of the sixteenth century Spanish empire and an illustration of Spanish Renaissance art and architecture, El Escorial has done its job to reflect the imperial ideals of Felipe II. In the past, members of the royal family have claimed divine power, having special permission and communication with God that allows them to rule. Although the claims of course now seem completely ridiculous, after my visit today, I am certain, that here in Spain, kings live forever.