The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial: one of the great creations of the Spanish Renaissance, built under Philip II as a royal residence, monastery and mausoleum of monarchs

The Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is one of the great creations of the Spanish Renaissance, built under Philip II as a royal residence, monastery and mausoleum of monarchs. In its basilica, beneath the vaults of the choir, an eagle crowns a crystal chandelier, spreading its wings over eight glass candelabra. The chandelier was made in Milan and dates from 1676.

The Hermitage, of course, has chandeliers worth the name too: gold, bronze, crystal, all gleaming so brightly that you forget why you came. But at El Escorial there is an eagle above the lampshades. Wings spread, it sits there proud as Philip II after a successful tax collection. And the difference is felt at once: our chandeliers light interiors with paintings, theirs illuminate the very idea of monarchic power. And just try changing a bulb without a blessing!