The construction of the Cathedral of Segovia from Juan Guas to Juan Gil de Hontañón

The Cathedral of Segovia was the last great Gothic temple built on the mainland territories of the Kingdom of Castile. Construction began in 1525, after the turbulent events of the War of the Communities destroyed the old building constructed in the 12th century. Although much has been written about the new temple (designed by Juan Gil de Hontañón, c. 1470-†1526), little is known about the old medieval building, despite having undergone significant construction work at the start of the 16th century. This paper examines that masonry workshop from the arrival of Juan Guas until the completion of the old Romanesque temple and the start of the construction of the library by Juan Gil de Hontañón in the summer of 1504. After studying the documents in the cathedral archives -the wages of journeymen, deputy foremen and master builders, their role in its construction, their origins and the business relationship between them- we were able to reconstruct this period and explain the spread of the late Castilian Gothic style.