(Wikipedia) The cathedral being built by Justo Gallego for over half a century now on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain, as it appears in 2010.
(Wikipedia) Former Spanish Trappist monk Justo Gallego says, ‘When I look at what I’ve created, it overwhelms me and I give thanks to the Lord.’
“I do it for faith.”
Those five words sum up the motivation of this 90-year-old man who for more than half a century has been building a huge cathedral on the outskirts of Madrid, Spain mostly by his own hands.
Justo Gallego, or Don Justo as he’s widely known, has been the subject of numerous media reports and features since he started work on his colossal project in 1963.
The Catholic News Agency and CNN recently ran separate features on the former farmer, bullfighter and Trappist monk, highlighting the extraordinary nature of his work.
Wikipedia and the BBC were among the media organisations that also featured this energetic nonagenarian years ago, all sharing the amazing story of a man trying to build a cathedral modelled after that of St. Peter’s in Rome with no prior experience in construction or architecture, and who uses materials from the scraps of other construction sites.
The size of the structure he has been building for 53 years now is breathtaking: almost 40 metres (131ft) tall, with spires and giant dome towering over the surrounding apartment blocks.
Gallego’s cathedral has a parish hall, cloisters, a sacristy, dome and a cavernous crypt aside from the huge main church.
Gallego said the inspiration for him to build a cathedral came when he was struck by tuberculosis in 1961, forcing him to leave the monastery.
He said he made a promise to God that if he got healed, he would build an edifice and name it after the Blessed Virgin Mary.
He fulfilled his promise two years later when he started building the cathedral at the age of 38 with just his bare hands.
“When I started to build this cathedral,” Gallego told CNN, “the word on the street was that I was crazy. They didn’t believe I was going to be so dedicated, and well, I’m proving them wrong.”
He credits everything to his faith in Christ: “It makes me happy because they see what a man can do when he trusts in Christ.”
“When I look at what I’ve created, it overwhelms me and I give thanks to the Lord,” he says.
“If I lived my life again, I’d build this church again, only bigger. Twice the size,” he adds. “Because for me, this is an act of faith.”
