Christ Redeemer

D-Day

A day that changed the war, and history

D-Day

A day that changed the war, and history

Christ Redeemer

A catholic emblem

The original statue was designed by artist Carlos Oswal and won the public contest whose rules said that the Christ had to hold a cross in his left hand and a globe in the right. Neither symbol was included in the final statue.

The construction made with over 1000 tons of reinforced concrete combines engineering, architecture and sculpture. Nobody died working on the construction which was unusual at the time, especially with projects of such large dimensions. Due to the difficult construction conditions --- a base where the scaffolding hardly fit, strong winds and the development of the giant structure of the statue, whose arms extend towards the void and whose tilted head proved a challenge to engineering --- Levy called the work "Herculean."

Considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world, it is recognized as one of the New Seven Wonders of the modern world. "El Cristo del Corcovado" is one of the most important tourist attractions in Brazil and, for believers, a place of pilgrimage. On the 80th anniversary of its inauguration in 2011, there was an exhibition on the history of the monument and the ways in which the statue has become a point of reference for Brazilians and inspiration for its artists.

The statue has a height of 30.1 meters and stands on an 8-meter pedestal. It is located 710 meters above sea level in Tijuca National Park, on top of Cerro del Corcovado and can be seen from almost all places in Rio de Janeiro. The monument was inaugurated on October 12, 1931.

In 1921, the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro proposed that a statue of Christ be built on Mount Corcovado where it could be seen from anywhere in Rio.

Construction took 9 years and cost equal to $250,000 back in 1931 when the sculpture was completed. This would be equivalent to almost 4 million US dollars in 2020.