Christ The Redeemer Brazil History and Interesting Facts

Christ The Redeemer Quick Facts

Christ The Redeemer Overview

Christ the Redeemer, one of the tallest statues in the world, is a giant statue of Jesus Christ installed on Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This statue is a symbol of the reverence of Christians in Brazil. This statue presents an advanced example of Portuguese craftsmanship and architecture.

Christ The Redeemer History

The First idea to build this statue came in the 1850s to Pedro Maria Boss, a Catholic priest who asked Princess Isabel for help to build a huge religious monument. But the princess ignored this and when Brazil became a republic in 1889, it was completely refused because it would be against secularism.

In 1921, this idea was revived by the Catholic circle of Rio, and to support its creation, an event called Semana do Monumento ("Monument Week") was organized, which was mostly attended by people from the Catholic community.

Several designs were collected for the statue of Jesus Christ, but in the end, the statue of Christ the Redeemer with open arms, which was also a symbol of peace, was chosen. Its construction began in 1922 and was fully completed by 1931 and was opened to the general public on 12 October 1931.

Christ The Redeemer Interesting Facts

1. It took about 9 years to make this idol, its construction work started in 1922 and it was completed by 1931.
2. This grand statue is the world's largest deco art sculpture with a base of 9.5 meters, height 130 feet and width 98 feet.
3. The statue cost about US$ 250,000 to build, which was donated by Catholic Christians in Brazil.
4. Seven Wonders of the World exists, including a statue of Christ the Redeemer which was included in the Seven Wonders of the World on 7 July 2007 and was followed by other major corporate sponsors including Banco Bradesco and Rede Globo.
5. The statue is located on the top of Corcovado Mountain in Tijuca Forest National Park with a total weight of about 635 tonnes.
6. The statue is located at the top of Corcovado Mountain, in the Brazilian National Forest called Tijuca, where tourists have access to the railway which was built in 1882 by Emperor Dom Pedro II to reach the top of the mountain.
7. On 10 February 2008, a storm and lightning damaged the statue. The statue's fingers, head and eyebrows were damaged which was later repaired by the government.
8. The structure of the statue was designed by French sculptor Paul Landowski and local engineer Heiter da Silva Costa designed the statue.
9. This statue is made of strong concrete and soapstone which gives strength to the idol.
10. The statue has been featured in many fictional stories and in various forms of media, including a devastating visual appearance of the statue in the 2012 film.