The Craighan Report

The Cathedral of Avila was constructed throughout an architectural transition period from Romanesque to Gothic, and is thought to be the first Gothic cathedral in Spain. Construction began on the apse in 1091, when Gothic design was in its infancy in Spain. But more than the interesting melding of Romanesque and Gothic is the melting of the militaristic and ecclesiastical in the temple. The apse of the cathedral is built into the city wall, incorporating a fortified, crenelated eastern facade.

San Vicente de Ávila (Basilica de San Vicente) was built on the location where the remains of the martyred saints Vicente, Sabina and Cristeta were said to have been deposited. The cenotaph was made in the second half the 12th century, and the baldachin in the 15th.

Iglesia de San Pedro in Ávila was built from the early-mid 12th century until the 13th century, with periodic work stoppages evidenced by changing architecture and decoration. The church has a Latin cross plan, with three naves that terminate in semicircular apses. It lies outside the city walls, separated from from the turret fortification of Ávila’s cathedral by Calle de San Segundo and Plaza de Santa Teresa.