A man who has been building a cathedral for fifty years with nothing
After leaving the monastery, Justo Gallego Martinez decided to build his own church and for 50 years, with minimal resources, he has begun construction of a magnificent building that is still not completed.
Justo Gallego Martínez, an 88-year-old Spaniard, lives in a half-finished building. He is building a cathedral with his own hands.
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For about fifty years he has been doing this without any help from the painters, draftsmen, architects or engineers, and without any financial support from the official church. Despite all these limitations, his church is becoming more beautiful and larger every day, which makes Martinez very happy.
The Don Justo Cathedral is located in the small town of Mejorada del Campo (near Madrid). It is still a long way from completion, but even this unfinished building is quite large, with a 40-meter vault, towers, a cloister, and a courtyard.
The cathedral was built by Justo Gallego Martínez, who never studied architecture or civil engineering. He took his ideas and designs from drawings of medieval religious buildings.
The idea of building a cathedral for himself came to him right after he left the monastery.
He was forced to leave the monastery due to an illness in his youth, but he still sought to devote his life to serving God.
Justo Gallego Martínez sold or rented out part of his property to raise the initial capital needed to start his business, and with the rest of his property, he began building a church using whatever was available.
He used empty gas cans for the pillars' bases, and in some parts, he even used wire, cardboard boxes, and iron pieces for reinforcement.
For decades, he has lived inside his own church under construction. He wakes up at 3:30 every day and works all day.
The main door of this church is open from morning to night and welcomes every visitor.
Justo Gallego Martinez doesn't charge for entry, but he has boxes where anyone can put money in, and many people do.
Almost no part of this building is complete yet, but the overall appearance of the building is stunning.
The Cathedral of Megrada del Campo has become Justo's personal monastery, church, and private world, where he is simultaneously the high priest, bishop, and builder.
