When we hear the word “architecture”, our mind visualises the most important places and buildings around the world. However, there exist other structures less known but as significant as The Taj Mahal, The Notre Dame Cathedral, or The Acropolis of Athens, among others.
Located in Mejorada del Campo, a small village in the south of Madrid (Spain), a peculiar man started to build a “cathedral” with his own hands and a great variety of recycled materials. When you look at this place you just can't imagine how only one person was able to lift this enormous church in honor of God and The Virgin Pilar.
Justo Gallego, the artist, worked on it for 50 years and, nowadays, this place is well known as “La Catedral de Justo”.
He grew up in a really poor family so, he didn't have money to invest in his idea. Besides, he had no idea about construction, for that reason, this task is so important.
At the beginning of this project, Justo sold
his crops in order to earn money. Over
time, people who visited the place helped Justo with donations and some
construction companies provided him with materials they didn't need anymore.
Just like that, Justo was able to carry out this astonishing temple.
It's known that every building has its own
design and a team of multidisciplinary specialists who work together and help
each other. In this “cathedral”, Justo executed everything by himself with no designs,
no plans, and no one else. This job is so relevant that even a huge beverage
company made an advertising spot based in Justo's Cathedral.
The materials used here are wasted
materials, reused bricks, bike wheels, recycled iron, stained glasses, and so on. Whatever he found or was donated. In conclusion, we can say that this place is
eco-friendly.
The structure of this temple has the typical
spaces that a “true” cathedral has, for instance: two towers (60 meters each), the
main altar, a cloister, a crypt, stained glasses, a staircase, etc.
This man dedicated his entire life and
everything he had to this construction as he thought God saved him from
Tuberculosis illness when he was a child. For that reason, he faced this job as
a gift to the Creator.
Justo Gallego died few months ago, after 50 years of building this temple. Now, Ángel López (the only assistant Justo had), Angel's priest, and “Mensajeros de la Paz” are the heads to continue this labour because the “Cathedral” must be finished as Justo wanted. Some people say that this place should be a building of Cultural Interest.
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