Catholic church rejects 'Cathedral of Faith' that took ex-monk over 50 years to build

It took a former monk more than 50 years to build a cathedral from scratch in the Spanish town of Mejorada del Campo, near Madrid's Barajas airport. However, the Catholic church does not seem to be interested in using the building as a place of worship.

Justo Gallego, 91, has devoted most of his life to building the "Cathedral of Faith" after he was forced to leave the monastery when he contracted tuberculosis.

The former monk has single-handedly built the cathedral using recycled masonry and household rubbish items such as bottles cans and old tires, according to The Telegraph.

"I do it out of faith; there is no other reason," he said of the cathedral that he started building in 1961 without any plans or sketches. "It's all in my head," he added.

Despite the lack of legal permits, he managed to construct an extensive complex that includes a cloister and a cupola that is almost 40 meters high.

However, Gallego is already suffering from ill health, and no one seems to be interested in completing the building.

Encarnación Martín, the town's local planning chief, acknowledged that Gallego's building is "emblematic," but she said the town has no money to spend on a construction that does not have a permit and could be unsafe.

She said that the town had tried to ask assistance in making it legal and safe, but the Spanish government, Madrid's regional authorities and Spain's College of Architects did not want to get involved.

The Church also did not want to be involved in Gallego's project, saying the town already has "enough places of worship."

Gallego has already written a will leaving the cathedral to the Bishopric of Alcalá de Henares, but a spokesman said that the bishop was not aware of this plan nor any attempt by the former monk to seek assistance or advice from the church.

"It's an amazing effort this man is making, but we at the moment have two churches in Mejorada that cover the needs of the Church. It is up to civil institutions to ensure that the building is technically sound," the spokesman said.

The cathedral is still missing a roof and the cupola is yet to be finished, but it has already attracted tourists, and Gallego has earned the respect of the town's inhabitants.

The former monk said that he was motivated to build the cathedral after he saw the desecration of churches during the Spanish Civil War.

"I saw the Communists destroy all the churches here, with people laughing and dancing in the ruins," he said, according to the New York Times.

"But when you believe, you can then also rebuild with your own hands a beautiful new place," he added.

Gallego has estimated that it will take 15 to 20 more years to complete the building, and he is now relying on friends and volunteers to help him with the construction.

He still has no timetable and not even a single sketch for the project, but he is relying on his trusted assistant, Ángel López, to take over the works when he passes away.

"The only plan is made in my head, drawn day by day. But Jesus Christ is the one who makes the real plans and decides what eventually should happen," Gallego said.