Catedral de la Fe Justo Gallego Martínez (1925 - 2021)

Status

Extant

Address

2 Calle de Sevilla, Madrid, 28014, Spain

Built

1961 to present

Visiting Information

The public is generally allowed access to the ground floor and interior courtyard, but not to the upper levels. 

About the Artist/Site

Just east of Madrid, on farmland inherited from his family, Justo Gallego Martínez has created a 24,000 square foot cathedral that may be Spain’s best known visionary environment. As a youth, Gallego entered a monastery, but when he contracted tuberculosis before taking his vows, he was expelled. With his belief in the church bureaucracy broken but his religious faith intact, he returned to the family farm and began building his own house of worship. Using recycled materials and seconds donated by local building contractors, he has constructed his cathedral almost single-handedly, fashioning a cloister, crypt, and portico; myriad spiral staircases; and huge domes that rise over ten stories. Gallego’s building plans exist only in his head, and he has no background in architecture, art, engineering, or construction. He has built his cathedral without written plans or construction permits, and so cannot obtain the licenses necessary to have the building serve for the religious use for which it is intended. As Gallego continues to work, the public is generally allowed access to the ground floor and interior courtyard, but not to the upper levels. It is unclear what the status will be upon his demise.

~Jo Farb Hernández, 2011

 

Update, February 2020: A documentary about Justo Gallego's work called Pan Seco is currently in production. 

Update, November 2021: Justo Gallego passed away November 28, 2021. The future of his site is uncertain. 

Contributors

Materials

recycled materials, stone

SPACES Archives Holdings

The SPACES archive contains digital photographs, 2008, clippings, and Laia Rosa-Armengol’s essay published in the 2006 book Escultecturas Margivagantes.

Map & Site Information

2 Calle de Sevilla, 28014 es
Latitude/Longitude: 40.4168018 / -3.700126

Nearby Environments

Parque Jotache (JH Park)

Torrelodones, Community of Madrid

Concrete Beams Monument

Navalcarnero, Community of Madrid

Cívica

Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha

Ruta de las Caras (The Path of the Faces)

Buendía, Castile-La Mancha

Arroyolugar (The Place of the Streams)

La Iglesuela, Castile-La Mancha

La Casa de Piedra (The House of Stone)

Alcolea del Pinar, Castile-La Mancha

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Comments

Onemancathedral September 24, 2020

Amazing pics! We are running a crowdfunding campaign to help Justo and Angel save the Cathedral! More info on onemancathedral.com! thanks!