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Church building in the 16th century represents a high point of Spanish Gothic architecture. Cities such as Salamanca, Segovia, and Plasencia were erecting breathtaking new cathedrals in the Late Gothic style, while in Palencia the building of the 14th century was continued without the slightest discontinuity of style.
The flourishing of Late Gothic church architecture started with the Cathedral of Santa María at Astorga. Begun in 1471 as a nave and aisles with no transept but with three polygonal apses, it appears to hark back structurally to German models.
The cathedrals of Salamanca, Palencia, and Segovia are largely of the same type: Salamanca has a nave and aisles with side chapels and a straight end while Segovia has a round east end with radiating chapels. Neither possesses a transept extending beyond the exterior walls.
The construction of these churches was preceded by a debate by panels of experts. The best-known architects were summoned: Alonso Covarruvias (1488-1570), Antonio Egas, Juan de Badajoz (c.1495-1552), Juan Gil de Hontañón (1480-1531) and his son, Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón (1500–1577).
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