A complex that includes a royal palace, a basilica, a pantheon, a library and an Augustinian monastery in the classicist style built in the mid-16th century by order of Philip II. El Escorial has numerous paintings by Italian, Spanish and Flemish masters; a spectacular Renaissance library covered with frescoes and oil paintings with a rich collection of old books and engravings; and an imposing basilica that houses a magnificent marble altarpiece. The complex offers a journey through the history of Spain since the reign of Philip II, as well as containing the ideological and aesthetic essence of the Golden Age.