Escorial Monastery Gardens

The gardens extend into the monastery’s main cloister, or Patio de Los Evangelistas, as well as the southern and eastern forecourts. Due to their location, they are protected and enjoy the best hours of sunshine, making them a perfect place for a pleasant walk, even in the middle of winter. Philip II, a great lover of gardens, personally took care of bringing in specialized gardeners. The squares of boxwood hedges, inside which were planted abundant brightly colored flowers, looked like “thin carpets straight from Damascus”. Today, the hedges of these same squares, without flowers, form magnificent designs.