This is wonderful. In the modern age, with our short attention spans and disposable culture, dedication to a single ‘great work’ seems like a relic of past times (I remember being amazed to read about the decades of work Lorenzo Ghiberti devoted to the bronze doors of the Florence Baptistery, pondering such dedication over a long period). But 90-year-old Justo Gallego has spent more than a half century on his masterwork:
For 53 years, Justo Gallego has been building a cathedral by hand on the outskirts of Madrid almost entirely by himself. Gallego has no formal architecture or construction training, but that hasn’t stopped him from toiling on this herculean task. At 90 years old, Gallego knows that he will not be able to finish the project in his lifetime. But he keeps at it anyway, day after day, driven by his faith.
(via Colossal)
