Justo Cathedral, in Mejorada del Campo

Recognition came for his efforts. It came late, but it came. After years spent building a Cathedral in Mejorada del Campo single-handedly, Don Justo Gallego was made ‘Hijo Predilecto’ of the neighbourhood at 95 years old.

Many people are just discovering all this now, on the news. However, the story of this Cathedral is worth discovering and telling, as it is a pure example of dedication and perseverance.

Don Justo was gravely ill with tuberculosis and when he finally recovered, he decided to build a cathedral with his own hands in honour of the Virgin Mary in the Madrid neighbourhood where he lived. 

The first stone was laid on the 12 October 1961. Up until the present day, he continued to build with body and soul, and the cathedral now stretches over 4.700 m2.

He has no official plan for his cathedral has. Don Justo says that he just follows what comes into his head and that it all comes naturally. Most of the materials used are recycled from maintenance works, scrap metal and similar resources. He polishes them and finds a place for them.

While Don Justo has no official help or funding with his project, he rose to fame a few years ago when Aquarius filmed an advert about his life, and how “the human being is unpredictable”. After this advert was aired, many curious people came to Mejorada del Campo to visit this peculiar cathedral to see if the stories they had heard were true. The structure now is now 60m tall, and has 28 domes and 12 towers.

This year, the mayor of Mejorada del Campo also recognised the cathedral as a Cultural Heritage Site, having put the neighbourhood on the map not only in Spain but worldwide, especially after New York’s MOMA exhibited photographs of this masterpiece.

Categories: Madrid Cultura