TARGET 120502

The Statue of Christ the Redeemer

The statue in the clouds

The statue surrounded by clouds

Perhaps the most famous statue of Jesus in the world, The statue of Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor in Portuguese) is now the 3rd tallest. It was the tallest when it was built between 1926 and 1931 and has been the inspiration for a number of others.

The clouds often rise to meet the statue

The clouds rising to meet the statue

It has been noted that sometimes, the clouds will rise up the mountain, above their normal cloud layer, to the feet of the statue. Of course, the cloud cover prevents people in the city of Rio de Janero from seeing the phenomenon, and often even prevents those who are at its feet from seeing it. Sometimes, the tourist helicopter service is the only way to observe it.

From the ground

From the ground

But even when they can see it from the city below, it is an awe-inspiring sight.

On a clear day
On a clear day

On a clear day, the statue overlooks the city of Rio and its harbor. It faces the famous Sugerloaf Mountain that stands at the entrance to the bay.

In front of the statue, there is a large area for tourists and worshippers to gather and look at both the statue and the city, below. A winding road leads up the mountain, but once you get to the buildings below the statue, the rest of the way is by foot.

If you notice the small yellow dots in the picture directly above, you will see that at the back of the statue, there is a restaurant for the tourists and worshippers who are weary from the climb.

The helicopter tour

Or you can see it from the air.

And, of course, there's always the option of seeing the statue up close via the helicopter service.

NOTE: Although the following is designed as feedback for the more advanced viewers, basic and intermediate level viewers will often get historical and data-type perceptions (sizes, shapes, etc.) as well. The following information is presented here, but if you didn't get any of it, you follow the rule that you don't count off for what you didn't get. You are looking for the accuracy of what you did get. Anyway, here is feedback for those doing historical timelines, mapping, scalar information, etc. The feedback map is below that.

The idea of erecting a large statue atop Corcovado mountain was first suggested in the mid-1850s, when Catholic priest Pedro Maria Boss requested financing from Princess Isabel to build a large religious monument. Princess Isabel did not think much of the idea and it was dismissed in 1889, when Brazil became a republic with laws mandating the separation of church and state. The second proposal for a landmark statue on the mountain was made in 1920 by the Catholic Circle of Rio. The group organized an event called Semana do Monumento ("Monument Week") to attract donations and collect signatures to support the building of the statue. The donations came mostly from Brazilian Catholics. The designs considered for the "Statue of the Christ" included a representation of the Christian cross, a statue of Jesus with a globe in his hands, and a pedestal symbolizing the world. The statue of Christ the Redeemer with open arms, a symbol of peace, was chosen.

Local engineer Heitor da Silva Costa designed the statue; it was sculpted by Polish-French sculptor Paul Landowski. A group of engineers and technicians studied Landowski's submissions and the decision was made to build the structure out of reinforced concrete (designed by Albert Caquot) instead of steel, more suitable for the cross-shaped statue. The outer layers are soapstone, chosen for its enduring qualities and ease of use. Construction took nine years, from 1922 to 1931 and cost the equivalent of US$250,000 ($3,200,000 in 2013). The monument was opened on October 12, 1931. The statue was meant to be lit by a battery of floodlights triggered remotely by shortwave radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi, stationed 5,700 miles (9,200 km) away in Rome, but poor weather affected the signal and it had to be lit by workers in Rio.

In October 2006, on the statue's 75th anniversary, Archbishop of Rio Cardinal Eusebio Oscar Scheid consecrated a chapel (named after the patron saint of Brazil, Nossa Senhora Aparecida, or "Our Lady of the Apparition,") under the statue. This allows Catholics to hold baptisms and weddings there.

The statue was struck by lightning during a violent electrical storm on Sunday, February 10, 2008 and suffered some damage on the fingers, head and eyebrows. A restoration effort was put in place by the Rio de Janeiro state government and archdiocese to replace some of the outer soapstone layers and repair the lightning rods installed on the statue.

On April 15, 2010 graffiti was sprayed on the statue's head and right arm. Mayor Eduardo Paes called the act "a crime against the nation" and vowed to jail the vandals, even offering a reward of R$ 10,000 for any information that might lead to an arrest. The Military Police eventually identified house painter Paulo Souza dos Santos as the suspect of the act of vandalism.

FEEDBACK MAP

Feedback map

If you got impressions for which this feedback is insufficient, more information,
pictures and videos can be found at the following web sites:

Wikipedia (History & details)
Kuriositas (Article & pictures)
MyRioTravelGuide.com (History and pictures of the construction)
LoveThesePics.com (Great picture gallery and information)