The Madman and the Cathedral

Synopsis

In a small town not far from Madrid, a former monk has spent the last forty years single-handedly building a cathedral. With no planning permission and using mostly recycled materials, he has created one of the most striking and baffling architectural achievements of our time, but will he ever manage to finish it?

On October 12th, 1963, Justo Gallego Martinez laid the foundation stone of a cathedral. A peasant, with no architectural training, no construction experience and no tools, he turned his back on the fields and started building. He had no blueprints and no planning permission. He had not even seen many cathedrals. All he had was the unshakable conviction that God wanted him to build a cathedral.

To locals, he became “el loco de la iglesia” – the madman of the church.

More than forty years later, the shell of the building is complete – it even has a dome modelled on St Peters in Rome. The miracle of his achievement is matched only by the miracle he needs to finish his project.

This film follows Justo as the cathedral enters its final phase. He is now in his eighties and his work is only two-thirds finished. Justo’s dream to celebrate mass in the cathedral before he dies seems destined to never come true.

About the director

James Rogan is an award-winning filmmaker who works in film, documentaries and commercials. Recent projects include the BBC Storyville documentary, Blog Wars, and writing his next feature, San Cristobal. 

Previous films:

Blog Wars

According to the filmmakers

“This film has become a passion project for me. Katie and Maxyne at Britdoc have given me the confidence and support to deal with a very difficult subject over a long period of time. They have had the vision to see this project will benefit from covering Justo’s endeavour over a substantial period of time and have not imposed any arbitrary deadlines. It has been a refreshing experience that has enabled me to take risks and broaden my range.”

Sales/Screening Contact

Email address: