SAN LORENZO DE EL ESCORIAL
and the monastery
The village of san lorenzo de el escorial
The village was founded in the days of Carlos III in the 18th century and established as a municipality in the 19th century, when it had its first mayor. It emerged as a split of El Escorial, where Philip II built in the late 16th century Monastery of El Escorial. In separate part the main buildings and sites of this Real Site were, including the Monastery, which currently is, therefore, in the village of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Hence the aforementioned memorial also receives the name of Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial
The Monastery of san lorenzo de el escorial
Monastery and Real Site was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO on November 2, 1984, under the name of "El Escorial Monastery and Site '. Around this building, one of the main Spanish Renaissance monuments, has articulated a powerful tourist and hospitality industry, which has made San Lorenzo de El Escorial in one of the main destinations of the community of Madrid.
Since June 21, 2006, its term is protected by the community of Madrid as a Cultural Interest, in the category of Historical Territory or Historic Site, which appears in the neighboring municipalities of El Escorial also include Santa Maria Alameda and Zarzalejo.
The history of San Lorenzo del Escorial
The history of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is linked to the construction of the monastery and the town of El Escorial. The first historical references to this building dating from 1558, when Felipe II appointed a commission to seek a suitable place for its location.
The small village of El Escorial met suitable conditions. Its abundance of forests, quarries and game reserves, the quality of its waters and its location in the geographical center of the Iberian Peninsula, were decisive for final election, which took place in 1561 factors.
The foundation stone of the monastery began on April 23, 1563. A year earlier, Felipe II began acquiring land adjacent to the site where it was to build the monastery, with the intention of creating a territory, called Real Sitio de El Escorial .
The works lasted 21 years. Escurialense small village became town in 1565. It was equipped with mayor.
This administrative structure remained until well into the 18th century, when King Carlos III imposed a new territorial and administrative framework. It was forbidden to build houses around the monastery. Conflict resolution came from the hands of the monarch, the May 3, 1767 authorized the construction of houses next to the Lonja del Monasterio, in what constitutes the original nucleus of San Lorenzo de El Escorial and the beginning of a process that will culminate with the emancipation of these people regarding El Escorial.
With the seizure of 1820 passed into private hands virtually all farms
Real Site, except the forge and the land surrounding the Monastery and Casita Prince and Infante. The September 26, 1836, San Lorenzo de El Escorial was born as an independent municipality.