Christ the Redeemer (, <small>standard </small>) 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 high, excluding its pedestal, and faces east. The arms stretch wide. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone. 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.

The statue weighs 635 metric tons (625 long, 700 short tons), and is located at the peak of the Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca National Park overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro. This statue is the largest Art Deco–style sculpture in the world. A symbol of Christianity around the world, the statue has also become a cultural icon of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil and was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

History

thumb|left|A view of [[Corcovado before the construction, between 1880 and 1900|290x290px]]thumb|left|The peak of Corcovado with the statue under construction, c. 1930−1931|293x293px

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.

The Catholic Circle of Rio made a second proposal for a landmark statue on the mountain in 1920. Eventually, the statue of Christ the Redeemer with open arms, a symbol of peace, was chosen.

Local engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and artist Carlos Oswald designed the statue. French sculptor Paul Landowski created the work.

In 1922, Landowski commissioned fellow Parisian Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida, who studied sculpture at the Fine Arts Conservatory in Bucharest and in Italy.thumb|upright|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. The outer layers are soapstone, chosen for its enduring qualities and ease of use.

In October 2006, on the 75th anniversary of the statue's completion, Cardinal Eusebio Oscar Scheid, Archbishop of Rio, consecrated a chapel, named after Brazil's patron saint—Our Lady of the Apparition—under the statue, allowing Catholics to hold baptisms and weddings there.thumb|The statue lit in the colors of the [[Flag of Brazil]]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.

In reference to Brazilian 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. The commercial was controversial with the Catholic Church.

Restoration

thumb|A panoramic view of the statue at the top of Corcovado Mountain with [[Sugarloaf Mountain (centre) and Guanabara Bay in the background]]

thumb|upright|Christ the Redeemer aerial view with [[Tijuca Forest]]

thumb|Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado with Sugarloaf Mountain in background

In 1990, several organizations, including the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro, media company Grupo Globo, oil company Shell do Brasil, environmental regulator IBAMA, National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage, and the city government of Rio de Janeiro entered into an agreement to conduct restoration work.

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

The restoration involved one hundred people and used more than 60,000 pieces of stone taken from the same quarry as the original statue. 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. The original pale stone is no longer available in sufficient quantity, and replacement stones are increasingly darker in hue.

Similar structures

; Angola

  • Cristo Rei in Lubango ()

; Argentina/Chile

  • Christ the Redeemer of the Andes

; Bolivia

  • Cristo de la Concordia in Cochabamba ()

; Brazil

  • Cristo Luz in Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina
  • Christ the Protector in Encantado, Rio Grande do Sul ()
  • Statue in Jataí, southern Goiás
  • Christ in the Mount in Pitangui, Minas Gerais
  • Christ the Redeemer in Rio Verde, Goiás

; Colombia

  • Cristo Rey in Cali ()

; Cuba

  • Christ of Havana in Havana, inspired by Christ the Redeemer ()

; Dominican Republic

  • Cristo Redentor, Puerto Plata

; East Timor

  • Cristo Rei of Dili in Dili ()

; Honduras

  • Christ at El Picacho in Tegucigalpa

; India

  • Imitation statue of Christ the Redeemer at Nellore, state of Andhra Pradesh<!-- what is that and what is it doing here? : (Shrish Patil) -->
  • Imitation at St. Joseph Shrine, Vizhinjam, near Trivandrum, Kerala, India
  • Imitation at Ecopark, Kolkata, India

; Indonesia

  • Christ Blessing in Manado, North Sulawesi ()
  • Patung Yesus Kristus in Mansinam Island, West Papua, Indonesia ()

; Italy

  • Cristo Redentore (Christ the Redeemer) of Maratea ()

; Philippines

  • Risen Christ statue on top of Tombol Hill in Rosario, Batangas

; Lebanon

  • Christ the King, past Nahr al-Kalb on the coast

; Malaysia

  • Christ the Redeemer of Malacca, on the Portuguese Settlement Square in Melaka ()

; Malta

  • Tas-Salvatur in Gozo ()

; Mexico

  • Cristo Rey on the Cerro del Cubilete in Guanajuato, inspired by Rio's Christ the Redeemer ()
  • 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)
  • Cristo Rey in Tenancingo, México ()
  • Cristo Rey, at Iglesia de San Martín de Porres near Colonia Los Álamos, Tijuana, Baja California ( 30&nbsp;cm)
  • Cristo de las Noas in Torreón ()

; Nigeria

  • Jesus de Greatest in Imo, Africa's tallest statue of Jesus and fifth tallest statue on the continent ()

; Peru

  • Cristo Blanco in Cusco
  • Cristo del Pacífico in Lima, erected in 2011 ()
  • Cristo Redentor in Barranca Province, Lima Region, Peru
  • Statue in Yungay

; Poland

  • Christ the King in Świebodzin ()

; Portugal

  • Cristo Rei (Christ the King) in Almada ()
  • Cristo Rei, Madeira on Madeira island, completed in 1927 ()

; Romania

  • ' in Harghita. Built in 2011, it is 22 metres high and cost 200,000 euros, from donations.

; Slovakia

  • Statue of Jesus Christ, Klin ()

; Spain

  • Statue of Jesus Christ on the top of Temple Expiatori del Sagrat Cor, Barcelona, Spain
  • Statue of Jesus Christ, Monte Urgull, San Sebastián ()
  • Sagrat Cor de Jesus (Sacred Heart of Jesus), Ibiza, inspired by Christ the Redeemer ()
  • Sacred Heart of Jesus Monument, in Oviedo, built in 1980 ()
  • Cristo del Otero in Palencia, built in 1930 ()

Switzerland

  • Statue Christ-Roi, Lens, Valais (30m) https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_du_Christ-Roi_(Lens)

; United States of America

  • Christ of the Ozarks near Eureka Springs, Arkansas, inspired by Rio's Christ the Redeemer ()
  • Christ of the Ohio in Troy, Indiana
  • Cristo Rey by Urbici Soler in Sunland Park, New Mexico ()

; Vietnam

  • Christ of Vũng Tàu in ()

; Others

  • Christ of the Abyss in various underwater locations

<gallery mode="packed" heights="160">

File:Cristo Redentor Rio de Janeiro Dezembro de 2020.jpg|Access escalators

File:O Cristo Redentor.JPG|Christ the Redeemer after restoration

File:Unique Moment with the Moon and Christ the Redeemer 3.jpg|Christ the Redeemer with the Moon in the background

File:P1170797-B.jpg|Christ the Redeemer at night

File:Morro do Pão de Açúcar RJ 04.jpg|Corcovado and Christ the Redeemer as seen from Sugarloaf Mountain

File:Corcovado sunset silhouette.jpg|Corcovado and Christ the Redeemer as seen from Sugarloaf Mountain during sunset

File:Cristo Redentor me too (7355688898).jpg|Visitors taking photos

File:Stamp of Brazil - 1981 - Colnect 215153 - 50th years of Christ Statue in Rio de Janeiro.jpeg|Depicted on a stamp

</gallery>

See also

  • List of statues of Jesus
  • List of tallest statues

References

Further reading

  • Corcovado Train
  • Map
  • Map
  • Sanctuary of Christ the Redeemer at Google Cultural Institute<!--

Please be cautious adding more external links.

Wikipedia is not a collection of links and should not be used for advertising.

Excessive or inappropriate links will be removed.

See Wikipedia:External links and Wikipedia:Spam for details.

If there are already suitable links, propose additions or replacements on

the article's talk page, or submit your link to the relevant category at

DMOZ (dmoz.org) and link there using .

-->