The Palace-monastery of San Lorenzo de el Escorial was founded by Felipe II to provide a suitable resting place for his father and future Spanish monarchs. The enormous granite structure symbolizes the glory of the Habsburg dynasty, the power of the Spanish Empire, and Felipe’s firm commitment to the Catholic faith.

The structure has a parallelogram layout, which represents the gridiron on which the saint was burned to death. Juan de Herrara took over the project, which included not only the monastery, but also a palace, college, seminary, and library.