She remained his unfinished.

Justo Gallego Martínez had been building his own cathedral for 60 years.

The Nuestra Señora del Pilar rose to heaven in a suburb of Madrid without money, without a permit and largely from scrap and rubble.

Its builder died on Sunday at the age of 96.

Justo Gallego's greatest wish was for others to continue his work, which he had worked on with his own hands for more than half a century.

Six days a week he was on the construction site for twelve hours from six o'clock, only on Sundays he allowed himself a break.

He placed himself in the “divine river”, that gave him strength, he said.

Hans-Christian Roessler

Political correspondent for the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb based in Madrid.

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He was ahead of his time from the start: his church is a huge recycling project made from materials that others no longer needed.

The basilica is popularly called "Justo Cathedral".

It is 55 meters long, 25 meters wide and 35 meters high.

According to his plans, it should have twelve towers, two of which will rise up to 60 meters high.

He inherited the property, a field not far from today's dormitory town of Mejorada del Campo, from his father.

He was a farm laborer himself before he became a Trappist monk at the age of 27.

As a novice he fell ill with tuberculosis and soon had to leave the monastery.

He made a vow that if he was healed, he would build a church all by himself for the patron saint of Spain, Nuestra Señora del Pilar. Only his death prevented him from keeping his word: Justo Gallego started without consulting an architect or obtaining the necessary permits. For decades there was a threat of demolition or collapse. Some saw in him a new Don Quixote. But with his stubbornness, the gaunt vegetarian, who grew his own vegetables, taught everyone else who was concerned about it. In 2005 a mineral water advertisement made him known beyond the Spanish borders; Tourists came in buses. The New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) dedicated an exhibition to the building project.

Justo Gallego knew that he would not finish the church. When his strength waned, he found a successor: Ángel López looked after him at night and continued building during the day. At first he had appointed the diocese of Alcalá de Henares as heir in his will. But because of the condition of completing his work, the bishop's enthusiasm was limited. Now the Catholic aid organization “Mensajeros de la Paz” will fulfill his vows. An architectural office takes care of the legalization and the statics, as the newspaper El Mundo reported. After completion, the 8,000 square meters should finally be filled with life. Perhaps in two years' time there will not only be prayer, but a social center with feeding for the poor will also be built. Justo Gallego wanted to find his final resting place in the crypt below.It was not yet clear on Monday whether this wish would come true.