Can you please give 5 long facts about the Christ The Redeemer Statue in Brazil
Answers
Answer:
Christ the Redeemer, Portuguese Cristo Redentor, colossal statue of Jesus Christ at the summit of Mount Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. Celebrated in traditional and popular songs, Corcovado towers over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s principal port city. The statue of Christ the Redeemer was completed in 1931 and stands 98 feet (30 metres) tall, its horizontally outstretched arms spanning 92 feet (28 metres). The statue has become emblematic of both the city of Rio de Janeiro and the whole nation of Brazil.
Christ the Redeemer statue
Christ the Redeemer statue
Christ the Redeemer statue, Rio de Janeiro.
© sfmthd/Fotolia
The statue, made of reinforced concrete clad in a mosaic of thousands of triangular soapstone tiles, sits on a square stone pedestal base about 26 feet (8 metres) high, which itself is situated on a deck atop the mountain’s summit. The statue is the largest Art Deco-style sculpture in the world.
In the 1850s the Vincentian priest Pedro Maria Boss suggested placing a Christian monument on Mount Corcovado to honour Isabel, princess regent of Brazil and the daughter of Emperor Pedro II, although the project was never approved. In 1921 the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro proposed that a statue of Christ be built on the 2,310-foot (704-metre) summit, which, because of its commanding height, would make it visible from anywhere in Rio. Citizens petitioned Pres. Epitácio Pessoa to allow the construction of the statue on Mount Corcovado.
statue of Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro
statue of Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro
Statue of Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro.
Jeremy Woodhouse—Digital Vision/Getty Images
Permission was granted, and the foundation stone of the base was ceremonially laid on April 4, 1922—to commemorate the centennial on that day of Brazil’s independence from Portugal—although the monument’s final design had not yet been chosen. That same year a competition was held to find a designer, and the Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa was chosen on the basis of his sketches of a figure of Christ holding a cross in his right hand and the world in his left. In collaboration with Brazilian artist Carlos Oswald, Silva Costa later amended the plan; Oswald has been credited with the idea for the figure’s standing pose with arms spread wide. The French sculptor Paul Landowski, who collaborated with Silva Costa on the final design, has been credited as the primary designer of the figure’s head and hands. Funds were raised privately, principally by the church. Under Silva Costa’s supervision, construction began in 1926 and continued for five years. During that time materials and workers were transported to the summit via railway.
Christ the Redeemer statue on Mount Corcovado
Christ the Redeemer statue on Mount Corcovado
Christ the Redeemer statue on Mount Corcovado (foreground), overlooking Rio de Janeiro.
Jeremy Woodhouse—Digital Vision/Getty Images
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After its completion, the statue was dedicated on October 12, 1931. Over the years it has undergone periodic repairs and renovations, including a thorough cleaning in 1980, in preparation for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Brazil that year, and a major project in 2010, when the surface was repaired and refurbished. Escalators and panoramic elevators were added beginning in 2002; previously, in order to reach the statue itself, tourists climbed more than 200 steps as the last stage of the trip. In 2006, to mark the statue’s 75th anniversary, a chapel at its base was consecrated to Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil.
Christ the Redeemer statue on Mount Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro
Christ the Redeemer statue on Mount Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro
Christ the Redeemer statue on Mount Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro.
iStockphoto/Thinkstock
Lorraine Murray
LEARN MORE in these related Britannica articles:
Rio de Janeiro: Mount Corcovado
Mount Corcovado
…towers the imposing statue of Christ the Redeemer, 98 feet (30 metres) tall. The peak is accessible...…
Jesus
Jesus
Jesus, religious leader revered in Christianity, one of the world’s major religions. He...…
Rio de Janeiro, Braz.
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, city and port, capital of the estado (state) of Rio de Janeiro,...…
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Answer:
1. Christ the Redeemer was built using reinforced concrete and has an outer shell of 6 million soapstone tiles. It’s believed that the workers who made these tiles occasionally wrote notes on the back, meaning this iconic landmark is full of hidden messages.
2. Due to the statue’s mountaintop position, it’s prone to lightning strikes and gets hit around three to six times a year. Prior to the FIFA World Cup in 2014, lightning struck and broke one of the statue’s thumbs.
3. The original design of the statue was different to what we see today. It was intended for Christ to be holding a globe in one hand and a cross in the other, rather than two open arms.
4. Christ the Redeemer was not actually built in Brazil. It was first made in France by French sculptor Paul Landowski who created the statue in clay pieces. These were then shipped to Brazil to be remade with reinforced concrete by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and French engineer Albert Caquot.
5. Construction of the statue took 9 years. Beginning in 1922, it was finally finished in 1931 at a cost of $250,000 US.