Cathedral made of Junk
They say one mans junk is another mans treasure. To Justo Gallego – or Don Justo as he is known, he has spent half a century building his very own church from the discards of others building sites. Once a monk, Don Justo has dedicated the last 50 years to building a church, and now at the age of 85, he doesn’t seem to be slowing down!
A sign on the inside of the church reads “not an architect or a bricklayer”, and if this were any other country other than Spain, I’m sure that would be cause enough for the local government to pull it down. But, this is indeed Spain, and the authorities seem content to let Don Justo continue his unique construction.
Justo’s day starts at 4am with the collection of discarded bricks and broken tiles from local factories and building sites. By 6am he is on site, adding his new materials to his masterpiece in the random, unplanned manner that only a building constructed in such a way can.
With so much completed, yet so much more to do, Justo is driven onwards by his passion and faith. It is hard to see a construction such as this ever reaching completion, and perhaps thats the charm of it. Its unique, delicate, and lovingly crafted by a man who, for 5 decades has done nothing but give this building his love, care and attention. He may not be an architect, but he surely creates with a passion seldom seen, and that has to be adored.
