Madrid man builds cathedral from junk

[M II A II R II K]

Madrid man builds cathedral from junk


30 December 2010

By Sarah Rainsford



Read More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12088560

It's the sheer size of the structure that first strikes you. Almost 40 metres (131ft) tall, its spires and giant dome tower over the surrounding apartment blocks in this Madrid suburb. That's not unusual for a Spanish church. But this one is being built by an elderly man, almost single-handedly, out of junk. Justo Gallego - or Don Justo, as he's known - embarked on his epic endeavour almost half a century ago. Now 85 years old, he still has a huge amount to do.

The vast central dome took 20 years to erect and there are two dozen more incomplete cupolas around the building. There are cloisters, a sacristy, even a cavernous crypt. Sections of several walls have been painted gaudily to depict scenes from the Bible. But, with no funding, the entire place is built out of recycled materials. At 0400 every morning, Justo collects reject bricks and broken tiles from nearby factories and yards and deploys them in his church to higgledy-piggledy effect. The columns supporting the ceiling were moulded using empty oil drums. The covering for one cupola is made from plastic food tubs, cut up.

"People have called me crazy and insulted me. But they're ignorant," Justo says defiantly, during a guided tour of his life's work. "When I look at what I've created, it overwhelms me and I give thanks to the Lord." A former novice monk, Justo began work on his DIY church when he was expelled from the monastery after contracting tuberculosis. He has since invested his entire inheritance in the project. He has one faithful helper who dropped by almost 20 years ago to visit.

[SD_Phil]

I'd like to see more pictures of this thing. These projects are always a mix of interesting and sad/bizarre but I suppose there are far worse ways for obsession to manifest.

[mdiederi]

What kind of junk is he using and where does he get the junk? From the distance the photos are taken it looks like consistent building materials, like he's finding a lot of the same type of junk to use, rather than a bunch of different types of random junk. Need closeup photos.

[xzmattzx]

This is amazing. I was expecting something like Watts Tower: ugly but impressive. This looks like something legitimately great, even if experts were building it.

By the way, the technical term for a cathedral is being used incorrectly here. A cathedral is the church that serves as the seat of a diocese. This church is not the home base for any bishop and his diocese. I wonder if the BBC knows the difference between a true cathedral and a big church.