a remarkable building in Spain, near Madrid, comprising a palace, a convent, a monastery, a church and a mausoleum. It was built by Philip II and was dedicated to Saint Lawrence, in commemoration of the victory of Saint Quentin, fought on the festival of the saint in 1557. It is built on the plan of a gridiron, because Saint Lawrence is said to have been broiled alive upon one of these. It was begun in 1563 and was finished in 1584. The church, the finest portion of the whole building, is richly decorated and contains a crypt, or royal tomb, in which are buried all but two of the kings of Spain since Charles V. The dome is 60 feet in diameter, and its height at the center is about 320 feet. The library contains a valuable collection of some 30,000 books and manuscripts. The principal entrance to the palace is opened but twice during each reign, once to admit the king on his first visit to the place, and a second time when his dead body is carried through. Fire and lightning have frequently damaged the Escurial, but it has repeatedly been repaired, so that it represents to-day an expenditure of $10,000,000.