Mysticism at El Escorial
Spain, mystical destination
Mysticism at El Escorial. Spain is a mystical destination due to the legacy of numerous civilizations and peoples that have passed through Spain for centuries.
Our “mystical journey” is focused on rescuing that legacy, wisdom, history and the knowledge of the ancient civilizations by which Spain has been populated. On the other hand, Spain has also been the cradle of great philosophers and saints whose contributions to philosophy and theology have been relevant and whose legacy survives to this day: such is the case of Maimonides (Moshe ben Maimon), Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, etc.
Our mystical trips are aimed at religious groups, universities whose programs are specialized in religion, mysticism, or similar areas. who wish to have contact with this inheritance and live and feel transcendental, deep, transformative and inspirational experiences, since they touch on historical, energetic, mystical and, in the case of sacred music, artistic themes.
We will design the itinerary of the mystical journey according to the needs of the group and adapt the duration of the journey and the content of each trip accordingly.
In what follows we will talk specifically about El Escorial as a mystical place whose content is very relevant from a historical, mystical and spiritual point of view.
El Escorial: the Monastery and its historical relevance
El Escorial Monastery is a Spanish Renaissance building. It was conceived as a religious establishment for the burial of the emperor Charles V, who requested it in his will; its construction was carried out by his son Philip II. The ground plan is in the shape of a grill. Tradition states that this design was chosen in honor of San Lorenzo, El Escorial being called San Lorenzo del Escorial as a tribute to this saint, who was martyred by being roasted to death on a grill. (However, the Alcazar in Seville and the Alhambra in Granada have the same design). There is also the belief that the design resembles the temple of Solomon as described by the historian Flavious Josephus.
During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries it was the seat of monarchical and ecclesiastical power, serving as both a royal palace and a monastery. The building houses a basilica, the palace of Philip II, an impressive library, the royal pantheon and beautiful gardens.
The Pantheon of the Kings of El Escorial has been the burial place of the Spanish monarchs of the Habsburg and Bourbon dynasties; a tradition that continues to this day. In the center of the Pantheon of the Infantes there is a polygonal mausoleum in white marble, commonly known as “the Cake” for its resemblance to a birthday cake. This structure serves as a burial place for those infantes (crown princes) who died before reaching the age of ten.
Turning to the Library of the Escorial Monastery, it is of central importance because in the time of Philip II anyone who printed a new book in the Spanish Empire, from the Philippines to the Americas, was obliged to send a copy to the Escorial. Today it is one of the most important libraries in the world and holds incunabula and facsimiles of Saint Teresa, Saint Augustine, and countless other relevant titles. We dare to say that it is one of the most important old libraries in the world.
El Escorial: home of Philip II and his mysticism
Philip II was the ruler of a great empire, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and of Spain. He is an interesting figurenot least because, beyond being a learned man with access to all the books that were printed in the empire, he was a lover of art.
The monarchs of Spain are traditionally great collectors of art. This love of art comes from his aunt Maria of Hungary, sister of the emperor Charles V, who was a great humanist and art lover so, since the year 1500, the Spanish monarchs collected art; it was especially Philip II, through his ambassadors and emissaries in each country, who bought the best pieces from the hands of local and living painters. Thanks to this, the largest collection of Bosches in the world, a painter who fascinated the King, who had in his bedroom the Garden of Earthly Delights, arrived in Spain.
At that time art was a shared activity with friends, alongside whom one contemplated, and with whom one chatted and reflected on the painting and the possible messages behind each work. The King thought that art had the ability to transport the viewer to other dimensions,being surely a product of reflection and meditation.
On the other hand, the King was a fervent Catholic, although believed in astrology and consulted his astrologer whenever he had to make an important decision.
The location of the Escorial Monastery; its energetic vortices
In 1556 Philip II commissioned the Jesuit Juan Bautista Villalpando to carry out research on the temple and the structure of King Solomon. The king wished to be inspired by that building while constructing the Monastery, a proyect which his fathers will had instructed him to carry out.
On the other hand, it is said that the Monastery of El Escorial is located in a strategic position, one in communication with telluric forces and energetic vortices. subsequently to its construction, one finds in the oral tradition terms such as the “mouth of hell” indicative of a point of great energetic power through which the energy of earth enters into the world and even impinges upon the sky.
The nearby Mount Abantos was already a sacred place for the Vetones and the Carpetanos (ancient civilizations of Spain that developed after the Romans and the Visigotic periods), this fact could perhaps give us a clue that at some point there were monoliths, altars, dolmens or primitive monument that could have led the monarch, his architects and the experts of the time to choose this specific place for the construction of the monastery.
The geographer Epitanio Alcañiz, who has studied forces of the Monastery has found twenty vortices symmetrically distributed in the basilica. As such, it is the most important locus of energetic power in Spain and indeed in all of Europe.
In Europe, a number of sites where such vórtices are though to be located, such as Stonhenge, the Vatican, or the Valley of the Fallen, have four of them, in contradistintion to the twenty of the Escorial Monastery, which are mostly distributed symmetrically in the Basilica.
Epifanio’s conclusion is that these vortices are powerful places and powerful vectors. It is not known for certain why the Monastery was built exactly there, nor is the reason for the meticulous and optimized symmetrical use of its vórtices excaclty clear, but we maybe absolutely sure that the choice of its location was not a coincidence.
His research suggests that vortices of this magnitude constitute bioenergetic fields with a bioenergetic density sufficient to mummify bodies (and inhibit the action of bacteria). So quite posible there was a special reason for the placement of the Royal Pantheon, where the kings of Spain lie in the Escorial Monasrtery.
What other mysteries may hide behind the walls of this grandiose Monastery, Palace, Basilica, Pantheon and Library?
Prado Nuevo: a Marian and mystical place
Just a few steps outside the town of El Escorial, lies the Prado Nuevo. A beautiful field full of ash trees and olive groves where the Virgin of El Escorial is said to have appeared to Luz Amparo Cuevas, begining in November 1980, relaying to her, numerous messages and visions about the Virgin, Jesus Christ and humanity in general in these last times.
Here one finds an atmosphere of peace, and it is said that the water of its fountain is miraculous. A community that has formed nearby lives in accordance with the principles of primitive christianty.
The Prado Nuevo is a place of prayer and recollection and worth visiting. If one is interested in the messages of the Virgin, one may consult them here.
A Private Tour of The Escorial
With our Private Tour of El Escorial we will show you what is important and noteworthy about El Escorial.
Being situated in the mountains, the locale is cooler than Madrid, which has traditionally made The Escorial the summer resort of the Madrilenians. It is a city with an elegant and sober atmosphere.
In The Escorial one can eat very well, for example in El Charoles, or in Montia which has a Michelin star and is very worthwhile. Whichin the city itself there is shop attached to a local high quality wool and worsted mil, and further a field there is the biggest golf course in Spain.
Let us show you the Escorial and the Monastery in all their dimensions. Please contact us HERE
