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CHRIST THE REDEEMER “The reason why it was built was to show that Christ loves all”

By: Valentina Behaine

• It’s located at the top of Corcovado Mountain. • Christ the Redeemer is 38m high and

overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro is one of the tallest statues in the world.

HISTORY• In 1924, Don Pedro personally drove to the first

official expedition to the Corcovado Mountain, this expedition end with the opening of an accessible raise to the above mentioned mountain. Then in 1859 the father Vincentian Pedro Maria Boss came to Rio de Janeiro and was struck by the mysterious beauty of the Corcovado Mountain and suggested the construction of a religious monument in honour of Princess Isabel, who in 1921 gave way for the idea of a great statue of Christ.

It was built from 1926 to 1931, with funds raised from donations. There's a chapel for 150 people on the base of the statue.The original design of statue of Christ the Redeemer Brazil was done by a Brazilian, named Heitor da Silva Costa. He was also the engineer in charge of the construction. The project was shared with the French sculptor Paul Landowski.

The statue was built not out of steel but from reinforced concrete as that was considered a more suitable material for the cross shaped statue. The external caps of the idol were constructed in soapstone due to the resistance of this material to the extreme time and also due to its malleability.

The monument of statue of Christ the Redeemer was inaugurated on the day of Our Lady of Aparecida, 12 Oct 1931 by then President of Brazil, Getulio Vargas and cardinal Dom Sebastiao Leme .

The statue of Christ the Redeemer can be accessed by the 2.4 meter Corcovado Railway that has the capacity to hold 360 passengers every hour. From the road or the train terminal Christ the Redeemer statue is reached by 222 steps. For those not wishing to make the arduous trek up the mountain, reaching the statue is possible by escalators and elevators.

This is one of the largest déco sculptures in the world. Up to today, several reforms have been completed to assure the quality of the Christo Redeemer. Lighting has been added, and the latest renewal of September 2002 is the addition of a panoramic elevator and motorized staircase to ease the difficulty for elderly persons

The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio represents Jesus standing with outstretched, welcoming arms and is one of the most famous symbols of this lively city.