Cristo Redentor - History, Story and Facts

The Cristo Redentor  is a statue of Jesus of Nazareth in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world. It is 30.1 metres (99 ft) tall, not including its 6 metres (20 ft) pedestal, and 19 metres (62 ft) wide. It weighs 635tonnes (625 long,700 short tons), and is located at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city.

The idea of 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 dismissed in 1889, when Brazil became a republic with laws mandating the separation of church and state.

The second proposal for alandmark statue on the mountain was made in 1921 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.

History & Story about Cristo Redentor

• A symbol of Brazilian Christianity, the statue has become an icon for Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, and was constructed between 1926 and 1931.
• Corcovado Hill rises 710 meters above sea level and forms part of the Tijuca National Park. In the 16th Century, Portuguese settlers referred to the mountain as “Mount of Temptation” in honor of the Biblical mountain bearing the same name, on which Jesus was said to be tempted by the Devil.
•  A century later, it was christened “O Corcovado” in reference to its rounded form; “corcovado” means “hunchback” in Portuguese.
• Dom Pedro I, Emperor of Brazil was the first to order an expedition to the peak of the mountain in 1824. In 1882 his son, Emperor Dom Pedro II inaugurated a 3,800 meter railway to the top of the mountain which still runs today, and is the most unique way to ascend to the Christ the Redeemer statue.
• Amazing Fact 4 – In 2008, the statue was struck by lightning, causing damage to its fingers and head. Restoration work was begun at once, which included replacing some of the soapstone exterior of the statue as well as the lightning rods on the statue.
• In 2010, restoration work was done on Cristo Redentor, with the soapstone used coming from the same quarry as the stone used in the construction of the statue. There were also new lights installed at the base of the statue in this year.
• In 2010, a vandal spray painted the statue. This act of vandalism shocked the nation and the mayor Rio de Janeiro called the act a crime against the nation – a reward was offered for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible. 
• Cristo Redentor was named as one of the new seven wonders of the world in 2007, a status which is well deserved given its place as a world renowned monument and appearance in many films over the years. At a height of nearly 125 feet (38 meters) and weighing more than a ton, the Christ the Redeemer statue is undeniably among the greatest manmade monuments of the modern era.
• The idea for the Statue of Christ the Redeemer was conceived by Father Maria Boss. 
• The statue was constructed in France because it was thought that at the time, the workers would not be capable of building a masterpiece such as this. It was transported, piece by piece, to Rio de Janeiro; the head alone is made up of 50 individual parts.
• The statue, with a height of 38 meters, was constructed from the head down, so that the head was completed first. 
• In total, more than a thousand tons of concrete were used to build the statue.
• In the original plans for the statue, Christ was holding a globe and a cross.
• It is said that the head builder of the statue, who was Jewish, converted to Catholicism upon completion of the statue. It is also said that he wrote the names of his family above the heart of Christ, both on the inside and out.
• The idea of building a statue of Christ on a monumental scale in Rio de Janeiro was first proposed in the 1850s by Pedro Maria Boss, a Catholic priest. 
• While Boss was unable to see his idea come to fruition, the Catholic Circle of Rio proposed building the statue again in 1921; and with the support of the public behind them, the project began to gain momentum, finally being completed a decade later.
• Amazing Fact 2 – The Christ the Redeemer statue (Christo Redentor in Portuguese) took nine years to build. The materials from which the statue is made are reinforced concrete with an outer layer of soapstone; materials which were chosen for the statue for their durability and the ease with which they can be worked.
• Ever since its completion, the statue has served as a symbol of peace to the world. 
• Portugal has its own replica of Christ the Redeemer in Almada. Built in 1959 and named “Christ the King” (Cristo-Rei), the statue stands 110 meters in height and offers some of the most beautiful views over Lisbon.
• 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 ofreinforced concrete (designed by Albert Caquot) instead of steel, more suitable for the cross-shaped statue. 
• The outer layers aresoapstone, 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 ($3,257,463 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.