City, capital of Spain. Its early history is largely conjectural, although tradition relates that there were Christians there during the Moorish occupation. There are many interesting monuments, among them the Royal Palace, the palace of La Granja, and the famous Escorial. The first public library was the San Isidro, founded by the Jesuits; the National Museum (Museo del Prado) contains masterpieces of nearly all the European schools of painting and sculpture. Of its churches, San Pedro is the oldest, and San Francisco el Grande the finest. Cervantes, Lope de Vega, and Velazquez are buried here.