Escorial

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Escorial \Es*co"ri*al\, prop. n. [Prop. Sp. escorial, i. e., a
     hill or heap of rubbish, earth, and stones brought out of a
     mine, fr. escoria dross of metal, L. scoria, fr. Gr. ?. Cf.
     {Scoria}.]
     A palace and mausoleum of the kings of Spain, being a vast
     and wonderful structure about twenty-five miles northwest of


     Madrid; called also {escurial}. It was erected in 1563-1584
     and contains a monastery.
     [1913 Webster +PJC]
  
     Note: The ground plan is said to be in the form of a
           gridiron, the structure being designed in honor of St.
           Lawrence, who suffered martyrdom by being broiled on a
           gridiron; but the resemblance is very slight. It is
           nearly square, inclosing several courts, and has a
           projecting mass which stands for the handle.
           [1913 Webster]