Justo Gallego has spent 53 years building a magnificent cathedral by hand.
If you have been wondering what faith in God can influence human being to do, ask Justo Gallego. He has dedicated the last 53 years of his life to build a magnificent cathedral all by hand. He began his mission at the age of 38 and after years of hard work and commitment, the now 90-year-old man has managed to build his “own” church which has a parish hall, baptistery, dome, cloisters, crypt and very large main church.
This Man Has Spent 53 Years Building a Cathedral[/tweetthis]
The cathedral is located in Madrid, Spain, Gallego has attributed his achievement to his strong faith in Christ. “It makes me happy because they see what a man can do when he trusts in Christ,” he said. However, building such an iconic cathedral was not easy. Gallego was intimidated many times and for him, it has taken courage and enthusiasm to see his dream coming true. In an interview with CNN Gallego said, “When I started to build this cathedral, the word on the street was that I was crazy. They didn’t believe I was going to be so dedicated, and well, I’m proving them wrong.”
But where did his strong relationship with God start? When Gallego was young, he ventured into various activities including farming and bullfighting and later joined a monastery as a Trappist monk for eight years. In 1961, he was afflicted by tuberculosis and was forced to leave the monastery. While he was sick, Gallego made a promise to God that he would build him a chapel and name it after the Blessed Virgin Mary if God healed him. When God healed him, he was overwhelmed by his faithfulness and as he promised, he started building the chapel in 1963 without any help.
For 53 years, Justo Gallego has been building a Cathedral by hand in Madrid. Amazing story: https://t.co/1wrmw83hlz pic.twitter.com/OXIqeMgUf9
— Meredith Frost (@MeredithFrost) July 17, 2016
He has managed to build such a huge cathedral despite the fact that he had no prior architectural or building experience. The 53 year journey has not been that easy due this financial constraints, but Gallego has managed to build the whole cathedral by collecting scrap materials from other construction sites.