Founded by the Duke of Calabria, the San Miguel de los Reyes Monastery is one of the best examples of the Valencian Renaissance, and can be considered the prototype for El Escorial, as it was designed to be a Royal Pantheon, a Hieronymite monastery, a college and a church. However, various mishaps prevented the project from being completed in its entirety. The two architects who designed it in 1546 were Alonso de Covarrubias and Juan de Vidaña. Following the death of the Duke, the construction was interrupted for more than twenty years. Other criteria were then considered, but the first group of buildings fully assumes the Renaissance style.
Recently restored and inaugurated (in 1999) it serves as the Valencian Library.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.