Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue stands 38 metres (120
ft) tall. It weighs 635 tonnes (700 short tons), and is located
at the peak of the 700 metres (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain
in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city. It
is the tallest of its kind in the world. The statue of Cristo
de la Concordia in Cochabamba, Bolivia is the second tallest,
standing at 33 metres (110 ft) tall. It is made of reinforced
concrete and soapstone.
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A
symbol of Christianity, the statue has become an icon of Rio
and Brazil.
The idea for erecting a large statue atop Corcovado 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 completely dismissed in 1889, when Brazil
became a Republic, with laws mandating the separation of church
and state.The second proposal for a large landmark statue
on the mountain was made in 1921 by the Catholic Circle of
Rio. The group organised 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 was chosen.
