Justo Gallego Martinez, also known by his honorific name Don Justo, was born in the town of Mejorada del Campo in 1925. He was a Spaniard monk who dedicated his life to constructing a cathedral on his own as an act of faith. He was a member of the Trappist order but had to leave before he could take his final vows because of tuberculosis. He promised to build a shrine if he recovered, and after his recovery, he started to build a cathedral. He began laying foundations for a cathedral with his own hands on a plot of land given to him by his parents in Mejorada del Campo without an official permit or permission.

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The outer dimensions of Don Justo’s Cathedral are 20 by 50 meters. The total built-up area is about 4700 square meters. Modeled after St. Peter’s Basilica, the dome is about 40 meters tall. There are minor chapels, lodgings, cloisters, and a library as well.
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Don Justo wasn’t able to complete the cathedral during his lifetime. He died at the age of 98, on November 28, 2021. He had requested to be buried in the crypt of his Cathedral, but the local government decided that the crypt did not meet Spanish sanitation rules so they buried him in the local cemetery. Shortly before his death, according to local media, he bequeathed the enormous building to a non-governmental organization, which committed itself to completing Justo’s life’s work.

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