THE JUSTO GALLEGO CATHEDRAL
The story of Justo Gallego.
Justo Gallego was born on September 20, 1925
When he contracted tuberculosis in 1961.2 He began to build his cathedral on land that he had inherited from his parents, without the support of the Catholic Church. He justified his cathedral in the faith he had in Christ and dedicated it to "Our Lady of Pilar, Mother of God." Its dome is 40 meters high. He did the construction mostly alone but with the help of his 6 nephews and occasional volunteers. Sometimes he hired the services of specialists with his own money. He financed his work by renting or selling inherited land and with donations he received from time to time. At his death, there were no plans or project for the work, since Justo Gallego claimed to have it "everything in his head." He also had no specialized knowledge in masonry or architecture and even had to abandon his primary studies due to the Spanish civil war. According to Justo himself, he told visitors who came to see his work that he obtained the necessary knowledge through books about cathedrals and castles. Most of the construction materials used were recycled. He used both everyday objects and materials discarded by construction companies and a nearby brick factory. To make the columns he used old gasoline cans as molds, and a bicycle wheel acts as a pulley.2 His work led him to star in a television advertisement for the Aquarius beverage brand in 2005. He received 30,000 euros for giving away the cathedral for 3 days of filming and for participating in it.
Justo Gallego died on November 28, 2021. On November 9, 2021, he gave his cathedral to the NGO Messengers of Peace of Father Ángel4 to finish the project to which he dedicated his life. Finally, he died 19 days later in his hometown, Mejorada del Campo, at the age of 96. Although his wish was to be buried in the crypt of his cathedral, the authorities did not allow it for health reasons, so his body was buried in the town cemetery.
