'I'd Build It Again But Twice As Big': Former Monk Spends 50 Yrs Creating Giant Cathedral From Junk

Justo Gallego Martinez has worked on the building at Mejorada del Campo near Madrid since the early 1960s
He had no architectural training and no construction experience and had never laid a brick before in his life
The former Trappist monk vowed to build the cathedral after surviving a bout of tuberculosis

With its giant spires and magnificent dome to rival that of St Peter's Basillica, Mejorada del Campo's impressive cathedral looks like it has been skilfully crafted by a team of architectural experts.

It's impossible to believe that it has been single-handedly built by a former trappist monk who had never laid a brick in his life.

The as yet unfinished building, a little over 12 miles outside of Madrid, has been painstakingly built piece by piece over 50 years by 86-year-old farmer Justo Gallego Martinez.

He had no prior knowledge of architecture and no experience in the construction industry, but instead has spent five decades collecting junk and discarded building material in order to build the 131ft tall structure.

After working as a farmer and bullfighter, deeply religious Mr Martinez - or Don Justo as he is known - spent eight years at a Trappist monastery.

During his illness, he vowed that if he survived it he would build a chapel and name it after the Virgin Mary to whom he prayed while he was sick.

True to his vow, Don Justo began building what he describes as his act of faith in 1963 and despite his lack of skills or building materials, is still working on the project today.

My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden,
For behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm:
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree.
He has filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich He has sent empty away.
He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy;
As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to His posterity forever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

Magníficat ánima mea Dóminum,
et exsultávit spíritus meus
in Deo salvatóre meo,
quia respéxit humilitátem
ancíllæ suæ.

Ecce enim ex hoc beátam
me dicent omnes generatiónes,
quia fecit mihi magna,
qui potens est,
et sanctum nomen eius,
et misericórdia eius in progénies
et progénies timéntibus eum.
Fecit poténtiam in bráchio suo,
dispérsit supérbos mente cordis sui;
depósuit poténtes de sede
et exaltávit húmiles.
Esuriéntes implévit bonis
et dívites dimísit inánes.
Suscépit Ísrael púerum suum,
recordátus misericórdiæ,
sicut locútus est ad patres nostros,
Ábraham et sémini eius in sæcula.

Glória Patri et Fílio
et Spirítui Sancto.
Sicut erat in princípio,
et nunc et semper,
et in sæcula sæculórum.

Amen.

She became the Mother of God, in which work so many and such great good things are bestowed on her as pass man’s understanding. For on this there follows all honor, all blessedness, and her unique place in the whole of mankind, among which she has no equal, namely, that she had a child by the Father in heaven, and such a Child . . . Hence men have crowded all her glory into a single word, calling her the Mother of God . . . None can say of her nor announce to her greater things, even though he had as many tongues as the earth possesses flowers and blades of grass: the sky, stars; and the sea, grains of sand. It needs to be pondered in the heart what it means to be the Mother of God.

(Commentary on the Magnificat, 1521; in Luther’s Works, Pelikan et al, vol. 21, 326)

http://www.agilitynut.com/h/sunkengardens.html

Oh, my goodness! When I was in high school we used to sneak out to the underground gardens (car lights off to evade detection) and explore the various rooms by flashight. The boys would try to tell the girls that was haunted and we had to watch out for ghosts, as well as the police. We never knew the story behind the construcion, except that the “madman” who built it was dead.

At the time, it was located “way out in the country”, but now there are homes and businesses all around. I remember one little room where there was a built in table and chairs — all out of earth. In case you are wondering abut rain, with all those holes in the roof, Fresno gets about 10 inches a year. It is basically desert. And the “poor soil” is a misnomer.

With water, everything is lush without any additions to the soil. My parents’ house has the same thin soil, and we cut a mountain of overgrown shrubs out of there a few years back. We had prunings piled up in front of the house 50 ft. long, 10 feet deep, and 8 feet high. Then the neighbors allowed us to use their frontage and a tree pruner hauled a lot more away in his truck.

On my next trip I’ll have to take an official tour.

BTW, the irrigation ditches in town are bone dry, thanks to Nancy Pelosi!

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