Escorial

Escorial was the Palace for Phillip II of Spain. He was King during the 16th century and the Philippines were named after him. He was a devout Catholic and lived quite an ascetical lifestyle, or so they say.

Actually, as you go on the tour of this great palace, you are shown Phillip's bedroom and it is not grand at all, being situated right beside the high altar of the basilica within the palace itself. There is a door that opens out from Phillip's bedroom onto the sanctuary. The idea was that Phillip could stay in his room and just be there right beside the altar.

Yes, the palace includes a basilica and is used even today as an active place of worship and liturgical celebration. It is the church where novices in the Order in Spain make their first profession. It is all quite something.

Escorial today is a pleasant drive from Madrid. It is also the name of the modern town that sits beside it. It is a place for tourists to visit and get a taste of an empire but it is much more. It is a national treasure, being the burial place for the Kings and Queens of Spain, with every Spanish king since Phillip being buried there. It is a huge complex and much of it lies in the care of the Augustinians who were entrusted with its care 100 years ago by the then government.

So there the Order lives and ministers. There they have a college, a university and a novitiate for the Order, among other things. The overall impression is of a magnificent building complex that is grand and extensive, full of history and treasure but also full of present life, and there is the Order in the midst of it all. Everything in it is big - including the community room and the community dining room. Just amazing!