Empty string
The Second House of Trades shares its origin and architectural conception with the First, as both were designed as part of the same complex intended to expand the service spaces within the palace environment of the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Its construction was a response to the lack of sufficient facilities within the monastic precinct.
The project was carried out by Juan de Herrera, with works executed between 1587 and 1596 and subsequently continued under the direction of Francisco de Mora. Like the First House, its architecture adapts to the existing slope between the Lonja and Floridablanca Street, creating two different interpretations of the building: one more monumental and continuous towards the Lonja, and another organised through courtyards, porticos and square pillars towards the urban area.
From the 19th century onwards, the Segunda Casa de Oficios began an independent functional trajectory. Today, it houses spaces of great importance for the religious, cultural and educational life of the municipality. Inside is the former Capilla de Laborantes, currently converted into the Santuario de Nuestra Señora de Gracia, as well as the Centro Integrado de Estudios Musicales “Padre Antonio Soler”, belonging to the Community of Madrid.
The building also preserves a significant intellectual legacy. In the Second House of Trades, there is a commemorative plaque at the site where José Ortega y Gasset lived and wrote Meditaciones del Quijote, his first book, published in 1914. This link adds a special cultural value to the monument, beyond its architectural relevance within the historical ensemble of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.
empty
Second of the houses of the Trades designed by Juan de Herrera, part of the unitary complex built in the 16th century to expand the dependencies of the Royal Monastery outside its precinct.