The Seminary is attached to the University, and resembles the Colegio in its structure. It was used by an Order of the devout who practised severe restraints, and applied themselves to diligent study. Evidence of their austerity is shown in the absence of windows. This part of the Escorial contains an infirmary, an oratory, a refectory, and cells.
Passing along the Invalids’ Gallery we reach the Compana, in which there are various offices and a marble bath. The Dispensary was formerly in this part of the Escorial. There is a viaduct from the court of the Compana, beneath which runs another road. Around the smaller patios in this portion of the pile are the bakeries, storehouses, stables, and various workshops.
To supply the Escorial with water for its seventy-six fountains, its baths, and taps, several ingenious conduits were constructed before the first stone of the edifice was laid. This water supply is excellent, and there is scarcely an apartment in the Escorial which is without pure water from the mountain springs.
The apartments occupied by Philip II. were in the north-east corner of the edifice, and they are entered by the north façade. This was the retreat of the moody monarch, and it accords with his love of seclusion and the simplicity of his desires, though the additions of succeeding sovereigns have rendered the Palace more luxurious and richer in decoration and art treasures. Philip’s own apartment, where he died, is more like the cell of a hermit than the chamber of a king. There is a tiled floor to the room, an absence of ornamentation, and an atmosphere of severe gloom.
Here are some relics of the king--his bookcase, writing-table, a few chairs, and the stools upon which he laid his foot when attacked by the gout. From this chamber Philip could peep into the Church during the celebration of services and hear the voices of the friars at their devotions. By opening a panel, the king was able to look upon the High Altar and to catch the odour of the incense.
The fine staircase of the Palace was the work of Ventura Rodriguez, and it was built in the reign of Carlos IV. In the Lower Gallery there are pictures of historical interest, some of them being the original works painted for the founder of the Escorial. They are chiefly battlepieces; and one is a copy of the fresco in the Hall of Battles. Among the pictures are the ‘Siege of Grave,’ the ‘Siege of Calais,’ the ‘Christian Fleet attacking the Turks,’ ‘Battle at Amiens,’ and the ‘Fleet entering the Port of Messina.’