Page "El Escorial" Paragraph 12

In fact, however, the origin of the building's layout is quite controversial.

The grill-like shape, which did not fully emerge until Herrera eliminated from the original conception the six interior towers of the facade, was, by no means, unique to El Escorial.

Other buildings had been constructed with interior courtyards fronting on churches or chapels ; King's College, Cambridge, dating from 1441, is one such example ; the old Ospedale Maggiore, Milan's first hospital, begun in 1456 by Antonio Filarete, is another grid-like building with interior courtyards.

In fact, palaces of this approximate design were commonplace in the Byzantine and Arab world.

Strikingly similar to El Escorial is the layout of the Alcázar of Seville and the design of the Alhambra at Granada where, as at El Escorial, two courtyards in succession separate the main portal of the complex from a fully enclosed place of worship.