Christ the Redeemer (Portuguese: Cristo Redentor, standard Brazilian Portuguese:[ˈkɾistuʁedẽˈtoʁ]) is an Art Deco statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, created by French-Polish sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, in collaboration with French engineer Albert Caquot. Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida sculpted the face. Constructed between 1922 and 1931, the statue is 30 metres (98ft) high, excluding its 8-metre (26ft)pedestal. The arms stretch 28 metres (92ft) wide.[1][2] It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone.[3][4][5]Christ the Redeemer differs considerably from its original design, as the initial plan was a large Christ with a globe in one hand and a cross in the other. Although the project organizers originally accepted the design, it later changed to the statue of today, with the arms spread out wide.
A view of the Corcovado before the construction, 19th century
Vincentian priest Pedro Maria Boss first suggested placing a Christian monument on Mount Corcovado in the mid-1850s to honor Princess Isabel, regent of Brazil and the daughter of Emperor Pedro II, but the project was not approved.[1] In 1889, the country became a republic, and owing to the separation of church and state, the proposed statue was dismissed.[8]
The Catholic Circle of Rio made a second proposal for a landmark statue on the mountain in 1920.[9] 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 organization was motivated by what they perceived as "Godlessness" in the society. The donations came mostly from Brazilian Catholics.[3] 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.[10] Eventually, the statue of Christ the Redeemer with open arms, a symbol of peace, was chosen.
In 1922, Landowski commissioned fellow Parisian Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida, who studied sculpture at the Fine Arts Conservatory in Bucharest and in Italy.[13]
Christ the Redeemer in 1931
A group of engineers and technicians studied Landowski's submissions, and they felt building the structure out of reinforced concrete (designed by Albert Caquot) instead of steel was more suitable for the cross-shaped statue. The concrete making up the base was supplied from Limhamn, Sweden.[14][15] The outer layers are soapstone, chosen for its enduring qualities and ease of use.[4] Construction took nine years, from 1922 to 1931, and cost the equivalent of US$250,000(equivalent to $4,300,000 in 2023) and the monument opened on October 12, 1931.[4][5] During the opening ceremony, the statue was to be lit by a battery of floodlights turned on remotely by Italian shortwave radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi, stationed 9,200 kilometres (5,700mi) away in Rome but because of bad weather, the lights were activated on site.[9]
Lightning struck the statue during a violent thunderstorm on February 10, 2008, causing some damage to the fingers, head and eyebrows. The Rio de Janeiro state government initiated a restoration effort to replace some of the outer soapstone layers and repair the lightning rods on the statue. Lightning damaged it again on January 17, 2014, dislodging a finger on the right hand.[16][17][18][19]
In 2010, a massive restoration of the statue began. Work included cleaning, replacing the mortar and soapstone on the exterior, restoring iron in the internal structure, and waterproofing the monument. Vandals attacked the statue during renovation, spraying paint along the arm. Mayor Eduardo Paes called the act "a crime against the nation". The culprits later apologized and presented themselves to the police.[20][21][22]
In reference to Brazil striker Ronaldo's usual goal celebration of both arms outstretched, the Pirelli tyre company ran a 1998 commercial in which he replaced the statue while in an Inter Milan strip.[23] The commercial was controversial with the Catholic Church.[24]
More work on the statue and its environs was conducted in 2003 and early 2010. In 2003, a set of escalators, walkways, and elevators were installed to facilitate access to the platform surrounding the statue. The four-month restoration in 2010[26] focused on the statue itself. The statue's internal structure was renovated and its soapstone mosaic covering was restored by removing a crust of fungi and other microorganisms and repairing small cracks. The lightning rods located in the statue's head and arms were also repaired, and new lighting fixtures were installed at the foot of the statue.[27]
The restoration involved one hundred people and used more than 60,000 pieces of stone taken from the same quarry as the original statue.[26] During the unveiling of the restored statue, it was illuminated with green-and-yellow lighting in support of the Brazil national football team playing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[26]
Maintenance work needs to be conducted periodically because of the strong winds and erosion to which the statue is exposed, as well as lightning strikes.[28] The original pale stone is no longer available in sufficient quantity, and replacement stones are increasingly darker in hue.[29]
Cristo del Sagrado Corazón, Villas San Pedro, Carretera Libre Tijuana Ensenada Km 37.5, Playa de Rosarito, Baja California (75 foot, 40 ton, steel and fiberglass, colored)[45][46]
Corcovado which means "hunchback" in Portuguese, is a mountain in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a 710-metre (2,330-foot) granite peak located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park.
The Corcovado Rack Railway is a mountain rack railway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from Cosme Velho to the summit of Corcovado at an elevation of 710 m (2,329 ft). The summit is famous for its giant statue of Christ the Redeemer and for its views over the city and beaches.
Christ the Redeemer, a reference to Jesus Christ as the Redeemer of humanity, may refer to:
Sugarloaf Mountain is a peak situated in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on a peninsula at the mouth of Guanabara Bay. Rising 396 m (1,299 ft) above the harbor, the peak is named for its resemblance to the traditional shape of concentrated refined loaf sugar. It is known worldwide for its cableway and panoramic views of the city and beyond.
Jardim Botânico is a wealthy residential neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, located north of Ipanema and Leblon, just across Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas and east of Gávea. Jardim Botânico lies in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro.
Barra do Garças is a city with a population of 61,135 located in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, around 550 km (340 mi) from the capital city of Cuiabá. It was founded on 13 June 1924, but it became politically independent on the 15th of September 1948. Nowadays, Barra do Garças is the 8th biggest city in Mato Grosso. The city is situated on the border between the Mato Grosso and Goiás states and due to this the area is considered a geodesic center.
The Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden or Jardim Botânico is located at the Jardim Botânico district in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro.
The Sanctuary of Christ the King is a Catholic monument and shrine dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ overlooking the city of Lisbon situated in Almada, in Portugal. It was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, after the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon visited that monument. The project was inaugurated on 17 May 1959. The giant statue was erected to express gratitude because the Portuguese were spared the direct destructive effects of World War II.
Heitor da Silva Costa was a Brazilian civil engineer, designer and constructor of the Christ the Redeemer monument in Rio de Janeiro. In 1924, he won a competition for the construction of the monumental Christ the Redeemer statue Monumento Cristo Redentor on Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro organized by the Catholic Church. The reason for the competition was the one hundred year anniversary of the independence of Brazil (1822). The monument was inaugurated on 12 October 1931.
Cristo de la Concordia is a statue of Jesus Christ located atop San Pedro Hill, to the east of Cochabamba, Bolivia. It is accessible by cable car, or by climbing 2,000 steps. The statue is 33.44 metres (109.7 ft) tall, on a pedestal of 6.24 metres (20.5 ft), for a total height of 39.68 metres (130.2 ft).
The Statue of Christ the Redeemer of Maratea is a statue of Jesus Christ in Maratea, southern Italy, realized in Carrara marble on the top of the Mountain “St. Biagio".
Cristo Redentor is a neighbourhood (bairro) in the city of Porto Alegre, the state capital of Rio Grande do Sul, in Brazil. It was created by Law 2022 from December 7, 1959.
Cristo del Pacífico, "the Christ of the Pacific", is a 37-metre-high (121 ft) statue of Jesus erected in Lima, Peru, in 2011. Its erection was a gift from a consortium of Brazilian companies to the city of Lima, under former President Alan García, and described as a parting gift to the nation on occasion of his leaving office after the 2011 presidential election. It was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.
The Christ of the Mercy is a colossal statue of Jesus Christ in the city of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, to a height of 134m above sea level . The statue is located high above the northernmost seawall in the bay of San Juan. At the foot of the statue is a small chapel. Information: Inside the chapel, the full name of the work is provided, along with text dating the construction to 2009. As of January 2017, the entrance fee is $2 for foreigners and $1 for Nicaraguan nationals.
Gheorghe Leonida (1892/93–1942) was a Romanian sculptor known for creating the head of Christ the Redeemer, the statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Christ the King statue is a Catholic monument and shrine overlooking the city of Lubango in the South of Angola. It was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), as one of only four in the world. This 30-metre-high (98 ft) white marble statue was built in 1957.
The Christ the King statue also known as the Sacred Heart statue, is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Garajau, Madeira.
Paulo César de Campos Velho, better known as Paulo César Pereio, was a Brazilian actor.
Christ the Protector is a statue of Jesus Christ constructed in Encantado, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Ranquetat-Júnior, Cesar Alberto (2012). Laicidade à brasileira: um estudo sobre a controvérsia em torno da presença de símbolos religiosos em espaços públicos (Doutorado em Antropologia Social) (in Portuguese). UFRGS. 310 pp. hdl:10183/54437.
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![Approximate heights of various notable statues:
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Statue of Unity 240 m (790 ft) (incl. 58 m (190 ft) base)
Spring Temple Buddha 153 m (502 ft) (incl. 25 m (82 ft) pedestal and 20 m (66 ft) throne)
Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) 93 m (305 ft) (incl. 47 m (154 ft) pedestal)
The Motherland Calls 87 m (285 ft) (incl. 2 m (6 ft 7 in) pedestal)
Christ the Redeemer 38 m (125 ft) (incl. 8 m (26 ft) pedestal)
Michelangelo's David 5.17 m (17.0 ft) (excl. 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) plinth) Height comparison of notable statues (vector).svg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/Height_comparison_of_notable_statues_%28vector%29.svg/250px-Height_comparison_of_notable_statues_%28vector%29.svg.png)
