Irrespective of how much of a traveler you are, surely you must have seen the picture of the giant concrete Christ the Redeemer’s statue. It has its hands spread and is towering the Corcovado Mountain. Nevertheless, no picture does enough justice to the real thing. So, if you are planning to visit the most exciting city in Brazil – Rio de Janeiro, knowing some fun facts about this magnificent statue is worth your time.
The Jesus Brazil Statue is guarding the city of Rio for about 90 years now. However, the idea of placing it there was way older. Plenty of travelers like James Smith have visited this wonderful tourist attraction as well as have narrated their stories in their blogs. To learn about some interesting travel and photography tips, check out his travel blog – Only by land.
The story of the origin of Rio’s most striking landmark
The idea to construct a massive Jesus Christ statue first came in the 1850s. This was when a local priest proposed placing a Christian structure on Mount Corcovado. He requested Princess Isabel to fund this project, however, the idea was scrapped as soon as Brazil was declared a Republic in 1889.
Finally, it was after WW-II when the archbishop as well as a local group realized that the Brazilian community is lacking ‘religious faith’. The status was placed with the hope to rebel against the ever-rising godlessness in the country. It was decided to place the giant statue on top of the mountain Corcovado so it will be visible from every corner of Rio.
Designing
As far as the design is concerned, no one person can take the entire credit. In the beginning, a Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa designed a statue where Jesus was carrying a cross in one hand and a globe in another.
He even suggested that the statue should be placed facing the rising sun. Finally, he changed his mind and designed the statue where Jesus stretched his arms wide as if he is embracing the citizens of Rio.
The face was designed by the Roman artist Gheorghe Leonida, and the art deco was handled by Paul Landowski. It took about 9 years to completely construct the statue, and it cost approximately $250,000 (which is equivalent to approx. $3.4 million today).
Placement
The first thing that any tourist is interested in knowing about Christ the Redeemer’s statue is how the hell was it placed up there. Well, surely you understand that the mountain is pretty high, and thus instead of transporting the entire statue there, it was put together on the mountain itself.
Necessary workers and materials were transported up on the mountain, and the task of putting together such a massive statue was surely daunting. However, today it shows how strong the religious faith of locals was back then.
Getting at the base of the Christ the Redeemer
The easiest way to reach is by Uber. You can even use the Uber feature – ‘Juntos’ that allows you to share the ride with another passenger and thereby share the expense. Next, depending on where you are staying, you can even take a bus or metro.
Today, tourists belonging to almost every religion from around the globe are visiting the glorious statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio. So, without waiting anymore, start planning your trip.
