Justo Gallego Martinez, also known by his honorific name Don Justo, was born in the town of Mejorada del Campo in 1925. He was a Spaniard monk who dedicated his life to constructing a cathedral on his own as an act of faith. He was a member of the Trappist order but had to leave before he could take his final vows because of tuberculosis. He promised to build a shrine if he recovered, and after his recovery, he started to build a cathedral. He began laying foundations for a cathedral with his own hands on a plot of land given to him by his parents in Mejorada del Campo without an official permit or permission.
He dedicated the building to Our Lady of the Pillar whom he prayed to recover from his illness.
Justo had no former architectural expertise training. He also had no formal plan for the building. Most of the construction materials he used were junk and recycled, donated by the local construction teams. The columns, for example, were made of concrete-filled plastic buckets or air ducts, and the stairs were from coils of wire. Concrete, rebar, brick, and even newspaper were used to line the walls and fill the nooks. He mapped out the ground-works on site and the building has evolved according to opportunity and inspiration. The building was modeled after various works like St. Peter’s Basilica and the White House.
The outer dimensions of Don Justo’s Cathedral are 20 by 50 meters. The total built-up area is about 4700 square meters. Modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica, the dome is about 40 meters tall. There are minor chapels, lodgings, cloisters, and a library as well.
Starting in 1961 Don Justo mainly worked alone for about 60 years, but he was also assisted by the locals, occasional volunteers, and some of his family members. He would, from time to time, consult experts. He financed his work by selling and renting some of his inherited lands. Private donations were also given.
Don Justo wasn’t able to complete the cathedral during his lifetime. He died at the age of 98, on November 28, 2021. He had requested to be buried in the crypt of his Cathedral, but the local government decided that the crypt did not meet Spanish sanitation rules so they buried him in the local cemetery. Shortly before his death, according to local media, he bequeathed the enormous building to a non-governmental organization, which committed itself to completing Justo’s life’s work.
