Christ the Redeemer (statue)
Christ the Redeemer, or Cristo Redentor in Brazilian Portuguese, is an iconic statue located atop Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Completed in 1931, it stands approximately 100 feet tall (30 meters), with a total height of 125 feet (38 meters) including its base. The statue, designed by engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and sculpted by Paul Landowski, features Christ with outstretched arms, symbolizing welcome and peace. The project was initiated to reclaim religious sentiment in Brazil following the establishment of a secular government in 1889 and was largely funded by Brazilian Catholics.
Construction began in 1922 and took nine years to complete, utilizing soapstone panels to achieve its distinctive look. Over the decades, Christ the Redeemer has become a significant cultural landmark and a major tourist attraction, recognized as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Despite facing challenges from weathering and lightning damage, the statue has undergone various renovations and maintenance efforts to preserve its grandeur. Visitors can access the statue via elevators and lifts, and there is a small chapel located at its base. Christ the Redeemer remains a symbol of faith and national pride for many Brazilians and an enduring icon for visitors from around the globe.
Christ the Redeemer (statue)
Christ the Redeemer is a large statue that dominates the skyline over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The completed statue has been in place since 1931. It was built to restore religious fervor to the area after the establishment of Brazil led to a separation of church and state. It quickly became a tourist attraction and a point of pride for the country, even though it has cost hundreds of thousands in maintenance and renovations.
Background
Known as Cristo Redentor in Brazilian Portuguese, Christ the Redeemer was conceived after the creation of the Brazilian Republic in 1889, which separated church and state. An earlier attempt had been made to create a Christian statue on Corcovado Mountain in honor of Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil, but plans never developed. Although the new government was secular, the vast majority of Brazilians still practiced Roman Catholicism. After World War I (1914–1918), increased concern about a reduction in the emphasis on faith led some Christians to decide to build a statue of Jesus to reclaim the country for Christ. Much of the funding for the project came from Brazilian Catholics.
Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa developed the concept and designed the structure. The original plan depicted a large figure of Christ holding a cross and a globe. After many people began referring to it as "Christ with a ball," however, the design was revised. A new design—a large Christ on a cross—was chosen, and da Silva Costa selected French-Polish sculptor Paul Landowski to refine it.
Overview
Construction of the statue began with the installation of the base on April 4, 1922, the centennial of Brazil's independence from Portugal. Da Silva Costa continued working on the design even as the giant steel scaffolding was installed. As various pieces of the Art Deco–style statue were crafted in clay, da Silva Costa refined the design until finally settling on the Christ figure with widespread arms instead of Christ on a cross. The initial plan called for the statue to be made of reinforced concrete, but da Silva Costa thought this was too unrefined. After seeing a soapstone fountain in France that had the curved look he sought, he settled on panels of soapstone to cover the scaffolding.
It took nine years to complete the statue at a cost of $250,000. The statue stands just under 100 feet (30 meters) tall without the base and 125 feet (38 meters) with the base. Atop Corcovado Mountain, it towers more than 700 (213 meters) over the city. Christ's open arms are nearly 92 feet (28 meters) wide; each hand is about as long as three men. People can be married in a small chapel in the base. Visitors may use a system of elevators and lifts to reach the statue's base.
Christ the Redeemer is one of the most recognizable statues in the world and is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Over time, it has sustained damage from lighting, weathering, and vandals and has been repaired several times. Scheduled maintenance in 2020 could make the statue appear darker, as the quarry that provides the soapstone for the statue's "skin" ran out of the lighter color used originally. Through the two-year maintenance project, conservators carefully inspected stones to try to find the closest match to the original color. In 2021, the crown of lightning rods near the statue's head was quadrupled in response to the many storms the country faces.
Bibliography
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