Why did Palestrina become an important model for teaching strict counterpoint?

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina became a primary model for teaching strict counterpoint because his music provided a well-regulated, formal system that served as an ideal foundation for students learning the craft of musical composition.12

Generations of composers were taught to revere his work as a symbol of purity in ecclesiastical counterpoint, largely due to his technical mastery and unerring sense of tonal architecture. By the 18th century, textbooks began recommending his style as a standard for study. While Palestrina himself utilized his techniques with great flexibility, the academic insistence on "counterpoint in the style of Palestrina" eventually led to a more rigid interpretation of his methods in university and academy examinations. Ultimately, his enduring legacy as a master of Renaissance polyphony ensured that his compositions remained the primary reference point for those seeking to master traditional conventions of dissonance treatment and smooth melodic lines.123