CHRIST THE REDEEMER

Description

Essentials about Christ the Redeemer in brief

It is no longer the largest statue of Christ in the world, but it is still the most famous, imposing and photographed: Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) on the summit of the 710-meter-high Corcovado mountain. The Art Deco style statue is one of the landmarks of Rio de Janeiro and became the model for numerous other large statues of Christ around the world.

The history of Christ the Redeemer

The statue dates from 1931, but was originally scheduled for completion in 1922 to mark the centennial of Brazil’s independence. However, due to financing problems, construction was delayed by almost ten years.

Cristo Redentor is the work of Brazilian civil engineer Heitor da Silva Costa. He developed the statue in collaboration with the French engineer Albert Caquot. The head and hands were made from plaster models made by Polish-French sculptor Paul Landowski in his studio near Paris. On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of its erection, the statue was declared a place of pilgrimage in 2006.

The statue of Christ the Redeemer

The statue of Cristo Redentor is 30 meters high and stands on an eight meter high pedestal. It spreads its 28-meter span of arms protectively (perhaps even redemptively) with a view of Sugarloaf Mountain above the sea of houses in Rio. In the base of the statue there is a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Aparecida. The total weight of the statue is a gigantic 1,145 tons. Reinforced concrete was used as the construction material, which is covered with a mosaic of soapstone.

The statue itself cannot be climbed by visitors, because the stairs inside are accessible only to the maintenance staff. But this is not necessary, because visitors can also enjoy a magnificent view from the top of the Corcovado over Rio de Janeiro and its surroundings from the viewing platform at the foot of Christ the Redeemer.