To celebrate his victory over the French in Saint Quentin on 10 August 1557, Philip II decided to erect this monumental building dedicated to St Lawrence, which would serve as a monastery, palace and pantheon. This mammoth project took just 21 years, hence the superb unity of style of this building with its symmetrical and rectangular shape. Both sober and majestic, El Escorial stands on a site of extraordinary beauty at the foot of Mt Abantos, 49km northwest of Madrid.