Famous statue in Rio de Janeiro: history and description. Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio. Brazil

Look at the most tall statues established in honor of Jesus Christ in different corners planets. Published on the web portal

The most famous statue of Jesus on the planet is the statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. But the one who thinks that she is the largest in the world is deeply mistaken. The statue on Mount Corcovado, overlooking Rio, is only the fourth largest statue of Christ on Earth.

1. Cristo Rey - Mexico, 20.5 meters

This statue of Christ is located in geographic center Mexico - on the 2700-meter mountain Cerro del Cubilete.

The statue was completed in 1944 and its style is attributed to the Art Deco movement. Now Cristo Rei is considered one of the most significant religious monuments in the country.

2. Statue of Christ the Savior - Maratea (Italy), 21.23 meters

The statue, also known as the Cristo Redentore di Maratea, was made from white and blue-gray marble quarried near the city of Carrara.

Unlike some of the other statues built with donations from the public, the Cristo Redentore was erected at the expense of one person - Stefano Rivetti, an entrepreneur from Piedmont.

3. Cristo de las Noas (Mexico), 21.8 meters

The statue was named after the hill on which it was erected - Cerro de las Noas. The construction of the 580-ton statue began in 1973 and was completed only seventeen years later.

At its foot is a restaurant, which is considered one of the most popular among the residents of the city of Torreon.

4. Christ of the Pacific (Peru), 22 meters

The Cristo del Pacifico was President Alberto Fujimori's farewell gift to the people of Peru. When he lost the 2011 presidential election, he decided to give the Peruvians one last gift by building a replica of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio in Lima.

However, he was criticized because the Peruvians felt that the people should have their own unique statue, and not a copy of someone else's.

5. Christ of the Sacred Heart (Mexico), 23 meters

10 kilometers from the Mexican city of Rosarito is located giant statue Cristo del Sagrado Corazon, made of steel and fiberglass.

Sculptor Gregorio Tijuana, claims to be the creator of the most unique statue of Christ, not because of its height, but because it is made in color (usually all other statues are white or gray).

The statue of Christ of the Sacred Heart is the pride of the Mexicans.

6. Cristo Rey de Los Alamos (Mexico), 23 meters

The resin and fiberglass statue is located in border town Tijuana.

Moreover, they built an almost 24-meter statue on the dome of the church of San Martin de Porres Tijuana.

7. El Cristo Roto (Mexico), 25 meters

An unusual one-legged and one-armed giant statue of Christ was built in the Mexican town of San José de Gracia.

El Cristo Roto (The Broken Christ) attracts thousands of pilgrims every year.

8. Christ Rua de Houches (France), 25 meters

The monumental statue of Christ the King is located in Les Houches, Haute-Savoie in France.

Abbé Claude Delassie, pastor of Les Houches, who initiated the construction of this monument, wanted to erect a statue that would embody the idea of ​​the universal kingdom of Christ on Earth. The first stone was laid in August 1933, and the statue was unveiled just a year later.

9. Christ of Mercy (Nicaragua), 26 meters

El Cristo de la Misericordia is a huge statue in the city of San Juan del Sur which is the largest statue of Christ in Central America.

This statue was the dream of a local businessman, Ervin Gonzalez, who made his fortune in tourism. As a result, he built it on his personal plot of land.

10. Christ the King (Colombia), 26 meters

On top of Los Cristales - one of the two mountains that tower over the Colombian city of Cali - in 1953, a 464-ton statue of Cristo Rey was erected. It was supposed to symbolize respect for peace and the safety of local residents.

Only the most energetic tourists get to the statue, because it is located at an altitude of 1440 m above sea level.

11. Cristo Rei Dili (East Timor), 27m

The statue of Christ the King was a gift from the Government of Indonesia to the people of East Timor. At the time of construction (1996), East Timor was a province of Indonesia before gaining independence in 2002. Since then, the statue of Cristo Rei has become one of the main tourist attractions of the new independent state.

Unlike most of the statues on this list, the Cristo Rei is made of copper, not stone.

12. Christ the King (Portugal), 28 meters

Plans for the construction of a Portuguese statue of Christ first appeared in 1940, but the statue was not finished until 1959.

The figure of Christ stands on the top of the rock near the city, arms outstretched towards the city, as if embracing it.

13. Cristo Recucitado (Mexico), 30 meters

This statue is the only one on the list that was installed in a cemetery (in the city of San Rafael). Sculptor David Gutiérrez Becerril made the Cristo Recucitado (Christ Resurrected) from pink stone in the early 1970s.

14. Christ blessing (Indonesia), 30 meters

In Manado Indonesian, this statue is called Christus Kase Berkat. It was built in 2010 from 25 tons of metal fiber and 35 tons of steel.

The statue is unusual in its location - Christ, as it were, leans forward to bless his flock.

15. Christos Otero (Spain), 30 meters

You can find Cristo del Otero on the outskirts Spanish city Palencia.

The statue was built in 1931 in a style reminiscent of the Art Deco movement.

Cristo del Otero is one of the most visited holy places by pilgrims.

16. Christ the Redeemer (Brazil), 30.1 meters

Perhaps the most famous statue Jesus in the World, Cristo Redentor is the fourth tallest statue of Jesus in the world.

Many have seen images of a huge statue of Jesus Christ with arms spread wide. Its correct name is the statue of Christ the Redeemer. It rises above the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and is located not far from it on the peak of Mount Corcovado. Gorgeous view represents this statue in the evening. Illuminated by pillars of light, the figure of Christ seems to be descending into the sleeping city. In Rio de Janeiro, no matter where you look, you will always see this huge statue, which seems to strive to embrace the whole world with its gigantic arms.

The history of the creation of the statue of Christ the Redeemer

Since ancient times, the mountain on which the statue rises was called the Mountain of Temptation and was mentioned in the Bible. Later, in the Middle Ages, it was called Corcovado, which means "hunchback". This name was given to her in connection with a bizarre shape that resembled a hump. The first expedition to this mountain went in 1824.

For the first time, the idea of ​​​​creating a statue of Christ on Mount Corcovado came up with the Catholic clergyman Pedro Maria Boss in 1859. When he arrived in Rio de Janeiro, great view mountains struck him down. Then Father Pedro decided to ask Princess Isabella, daughter of the Emperor of Brazil, to finance this project. And to ensure the success of his business, he proposed to name the statue in honor of the princess. However, in those days, the state could not afford such a large expense, so the decision to erect the statue was postponed until 1889. However, even then the plan of Father Pedro was not destined to come true. The church was separated from the state during the change in the form of government, and the clergy could no longer ask for funding for such projects.

In 1884, the construction of the railway was completed, which ran just up to Mount Corcovado. Later, materials for the construction of the statue were brought along this road.

The idea of ​​building a statue of Christ the Redeemer was remembered only in 1921. Then, at the initiative of the Catholic organizations of Rio de Janeiro, it was decided to erect a statue on Mount Corcovado, colossal in size, which could be seen from any part of the city. This monument was to become not only a symbol of Christianity, but also a symbol of the liberation and revival of the country. During the week activists collected signatures and donations, this period was called "Monument Week". The inhabitants of the city liked this idea, they willingly donated various amounts of money. Of course, the church also made considerable financial investments. The erection of the statue of Christ the Redeemer is a real folk project.

The erection of the statue of the "fathers of the city" was also inspired by the fact that very soon, in 1922, Brazil was to celebrate 100 years of independence from Portugal. Therefore, they decided to start building the monument as soon as possible. April 22, 1921 is considered the start date for the creation of the statue of Christ the Redeemer. It was decided to build a monument of reinforced concrete and soapstone.

For the version of the statue that now towers over Rio de Janeiro, we should be grateful to the engineer Heitor da Silva Costa. It was he who suggested depicting Christ with arms outstretched to the sides. The meaning of this pose lies in the phrase "Everything that exists is in the hands of the Lord."

The artist Carlos Oswald completed the image of Christ, and the calculations for the installation of the monument were made by Costa Hisses, Pedro Viana and Heitor Levy. In 1927, everything was ready for the erection of the statue of Christ the Redeemer - from drawings and calculations to materials. The records of those times say that everyone involved in the project was inspired and made every effort. Some engineers and artists even pitched tents and lived near the site where the statue was erected.

An interesting fact is that foreigners also helped the Brazilians in the construction of this monument. For example, the head and hands of Christ were made of plaster in France by the sculptor Paul Landowski and later shipped to Brazil. Also, many French engineers participated in the development of drawings. They also suggested using a reinforced concrete frame, although before that it was decided to make a steel frame. And the soapstone from which the outer layer of the statue was made was brought from Sweden. This material was most suitable for such a colossal structure due to its strength and ease of use.

The erection of the statue lasted about 4 years and, finally, in 1931, a solemn ceremony of opening the statue of Christ the Redeemer took place. The size and complexity of the execution of the monument struck then all those present at the ceremony. There were tears in the eyes of many believers. And after many years, people continue to be amazed by this truly gigantic structure, which carries a hidden meaning.

The greatness of the statue of Christ the Redeemer

Every year, thousands of tourists and pilgrims make the long journey to marvel at the majesty of the statue of Christ the Redeemer. At the same time, the huge and meek figure of Christ spreads his arms over Rio de Janeiro, and maybe the whole world, as if embracing and protecting him. This monument has been recognized as one of the 7 New Wonders of the World. Its height is 38 meters, the arm span is 30 meters, and the monument weighs 1145 tons.

An interesting fact is that during the strongest storm that swept through Rio de Janeiro on July 10, 2008 and caused a lot of destruction to the city, it did not affect the statue of Christ the Redeemer in any way. Even the lightning that hit her left no trace. Pragmatists associate this with the dielectric properties of soapstone, and believers, of course, attach sacred meaning to this fact.

The most famous and majestic statue in Rio de Janeiro - the figure of Christ the Redeemer, which adorns the top of the South American mountain Corcovado.

This is the largest statue of Christ in Brazil: he spread his arms over the bustling metropolis in a blessing gesture. The construction has long attracted tourists from all over the world - tours to Corcovado are popular due to visiting viewing platforms, as well as beautiful views to a city of ten million, cozy bays and coves, clubs and Ipanema beach, to the grandiose famous Maracanã stadium. The monument was erected in the center national park Tijuca.

Statue of Christ in Rio: history

In 1921, the country was preparing to celebrate the approaching centenary of Brazil's independence. By this date, it was decided to build a monument to Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado. The city authorities announced a competition for best project monument, fundraising began immediately.

• More than 2.2 million reais were collected for the construction of Christ statues in Brazil. The Catholic Church was active in financing the project. The archbishop of the city, Sebastian Leme, supervised the construction of an architectural masterpiece.

• The original version of the monument was a sketch by the talented artist Carlos Oswald, who proposed depicting the Savior with his hands open in a gesture of blessing. A statue in Brazil would become a unique symbol of the Christian faith and would look like a huge cross. It was planned to install the reinforced concrete Jesus on a pedestal made in the form the globe. The Brazilian engineer da Silva Costa developed the final design for the national monument.

• During construction, soapstone was used, thanks to which the statue was well strengthened, giving its surface a special aesthetic.

• The country's technologies did not provide for the presence of workshops of this magnitude, therefore, in order to implement the project, it was decided to create a masterpiece in parts in France. In the mid-20s, the French sculptor Landowski modeled the head of the future statue, which was about 4 meters high. Next, we started making hands. Gradually, all the details were made of hard and pliable stone, but they needed to be carefully transported up the mountain.

• The statue in Rio de Janeiro was delivered to Brazil disassembled and lifted up the small railway built specifically for this purpose. From the tracks they laid the path of Caracol - the workers lifted the details of the monument along 220 steps.

• It took nine years to build this grandiose statue in Rio de Janeiro. The height of the structure is ready-made was 38 meters, of which more than 30 meters are dedicated directly to the figure of Christ. The statue weighs 635 tons, while the span of its arms reached 28 meters. It was decided to install Jesus on a picturesque natural hill 700 meters high.

On a solemn date in October 1931, the authorities and citizens opened and consecrated this new symbol of Rio.

Design features

The most beautiful statue in Brazil, due to its majestic size and successful landscape, is perfectly visible even at a great distance. You can admire the real magnificence in the evening - the statue is lit by a whole system of huge spotlights.

Inside this statue of Christ, famous outside of Brazil, a chapel was opened, located in the basement. Now the chapel has become a place of pilgrimage for wedding corteges. Tourists willingly come here, who, in addition to impressions, try to take with them miniature stone models of the statue from the local souvenir shop.

The hands of Christ are wide open in the arms of Christ: the gesture symbolizes sincere and all-forgiving love for people. locals believe that Jesus embraces everyone who comes to him. In 2007, the statue was chosen as one of the new wonders of the world.

The observation deck is located at the feet of the statue: you can go up there by escalator, highway or steps. From the site, magical panoramas of Rio and the surrounding area open up.

For several times the monument has undergone preventive and major repairs. In 2008, the statue was hit by lightning and was slightly damaged: restoration work lasted two years. The craftsmen managed to renew the outer layer of the stone, repair the statue's fingers and head, and install new lightning rods. In the same year, the monument was subjected to an unexpected act of vandalism - climbing on the scaffolding left by the workers, the attackers left inscriptions and drawings on the face of Christ.

Every year, the statue undergoes mandatory state control and inspection, work is underway to prevent corrosion and improve the protection of the monument.

To see this grandiose statue in Brazil with your own eyes, you should go on a trip to the South American continent. Specialists will be able to offer many options for visiting this country on the most acceptable terms and at reasonable prices!

Statue of Christ the Savior(port. Cristo Redentor) - famous statue Jesus Christ with outstretched arms on top of Corcovado mountain in Rio de Janeiro. It is a symbol of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil in general. Chosen as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Statue dimensions

The height of the statue is 38 m, including the pedestal - 8 m; arm span - 28 m. Weight - 635 tons. Being the most high point around, the statue regularly (on average, four times a year) becomes the target of lightning. The Catholic Diocese specially stores a stock of the stone from which the statue was erected in order to restore parts of the statue damaged by lightning.

Road to the monument

The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro is one of the most famous and popular monuments in the world. Every year, at least 1.8 million tourists climb to its foot, from where a panorama of the city and the bay opens from picturesque mountain Sugarloaf (port. Pão de Açúcar), famous beaches Copacabana and Ipanema, the huge bowl of the Maracanã stadium.

Statue in later years

statue head

Over the past 85 years, the statue has been repaired twice - in and 1990. In and 2000, the night illumination system was upgraded. In 2003, the rise leading to observation deck equipped with escalators.

According to the Brazilian Institute of Space Research, the statue receives an average of four lightning strikes annually. In December 2013 and on the evening of January 16, 2014 during strong storm V right hand lightning struck the statue, chipping off the tips of the middle and thumb.

On February 20, 2016, at the foot of the statue, Patriarch Kirill performed a prayer service for the persecuted Christians. Representatives of the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. The liturgical hymns were performed by the choir of the clergy of the Moscow diocese. The gospel, petitions for persecuted Christians and a prayer were read in Church Slavonic and Portuguese.

In popular culture

To the cinema

• "Rio, I love you" - in one of the short stories the hero refers to the statue of Christ.
• The statue is featured in the Rio 3D cartoon.
• “Life after people" - the statue is shown after 3 days (power goes out in Rio de Janeiro), 50 years (the hands of the statue break off and fall down), 250 years (the statue is completely destroyed) and after 500 years without people (the base of the statue , along with protruding pieces of the frame, overgrows).
• "" - the statue is destroyed due to an earthquake (the destruction is shown in the breaking news broadcast, which is watched in the White House (Washington)). The destruction of the statue is shown on one of the posters for the film (only here the statue is demolished by the tsunami).
• In the TV movie arctic explosion» Ice mist covers the statue.
• In the movie Twilight. Saga. New Moon "(the scene when Edward learns about Bella's death) and in the movie" Twilight. The Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1".
• In the series "City of men" (City of people) "Cidade dos Homens" 2002-2005, as well as in film of the same name 2007 (translated in the Russian box office "City of God 2"), the statue is shown after the initial credits and throughout the film.
• In the series "Family Ties".
• In the series "Clone".
• In the movie Agent 117: Mission to Rio.
• In the TV series CSI Miami, the statue is shown in season 5.
• In the movie Fast & Furious 5, the main characters live at the foot of Mount Corcovado, a lot beautiful panoramas with a statue.
• In the film "1 + 1" the main characters arrive in Rio de Janeiro and soar over the statue from the mountain on a paraglider.
• In the film Zalman King Wild Orchid / Wild Orchid (1989), Emilia goes to Rio de Janeiro and flies past the statue at the 6th minute of the picture.
• In the series "In the name of love."
• In the cartoon "Rio" and "Rio 2".
• In the series "Avenue of Brazil"

In computer games

• In Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, in the Brazilian missions, the statue can be seen in the background.
• In Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., there is also a statue in the mission with the defense of Rio de Janeiro. It cannot be destroyed, like the entire environment
• In the game Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege on the Favela map
• In the game Tanki Online on the map of Rio
• In the game Tanks X on the map of Rio
• In Tropico game
• In the games of the Sid Meier's Civilization series (starting with Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword), the statue of Christ the Redeemer acts as a Wonder of the World. You can build it in the later stages of the game. The statue provides culture-related bonuses, allows you to change policies without anarchy (in Civilization IV), reduces the cost of policies (in Civilization V), or provides a bonus to tourism (in Civilization 6).

Gallery

Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro. At the top is a statue of the Savior



Statue and view of Rio de Janeiro



Statue head. Bottom view

Statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro is rightfully considered the main attraction of the city, as well as one of the symbols of freedom and peace throughout the world. Moreover, brazilian statue is in the list of seven newest wonders light, sharing it honorary title with such well-known sights as the Roman Colosseum, the Mexican Chichen Itza, the Great Chinese Wall and other celebrities.

Curious facts about the statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro

• • • For the first time, the idea of ​​erecting such a monument in the city was put forward back in the distant 50s of the 19th century by a Catholic priest named Pedro Maria Boss. However, at that time he did not succeed in bringing the project to life. Later, in 1921, the idea of ​​building religious monument was put forward for public consideration again - this time, by united efforts, the Catholics of the city managed to achieve their goal. It is from this moment that the history of the statue of Christ the Savior, famous today, begins.
    • After 9 years of painstaking work (raising funds and directly erecting a statue), on October 12, 1931, this miracle was installed on the top of Mount Corcovado. Reinforced concrete and soapstone were chosen as the main building materials by the chief engineer of the project, Heitor da Silva Costa, as reliable and sustainable components.
    • How much did it cost to build the symbol of Rio de Janeiro? The construction of the monument cost roughly the equivalent of $3 million today.
    • The height of the statue is 30 meters (30.1 meters to be exact) + the support is 6 meters high, the width of the Brazilian Jesus is 19 meters, the monument weighs about 635 tons. Thanks to its favorable location on top of the 700-meter Corcovado mountain in good weather the statue of Christ can be seen from the center of Rio and the beaches of Copacabana. So, for example, I happened to observe the main attraction of the city from the room of the Sheraton hotel where I stayed. By the way, the foot of Corcovado Mountain is located at a distance of about 6 km from the hotel.

• Serious damage to the statue was caused by a lightning strike on February 10, 2008 - fragments on the eyebrows, head and fingers of the monument were damaged. After the incident, the lightning rod system was restored, and the affected fragments were restored.

• Another incident befell the reinforced concrete Christ in April 2010, when through the efforts of the vandals Paulo Souza dos Santos and his partner Edmar Batista de Carvalho, the head, arms and chest of the monument were defiled. The vandals committed the crime under the cover of night, taking advantage of the time gap when changing guards. For what they did, the attackers were sentenced to three years in prison, and as a public action they were "invited" to clean the walls of one of the city tunnels from graffiti. To be disrespectful to others.

How safe is it to visit the statue of Christ?

It is likely that some of you may be asking this question, because in general, Rio de Janeiro cannot be called a safe city. What are the stories and stories about the local favelas, where the poorest segments of the population live.

I digress from the topic of our conversation :-). Visiting the statue of Christ on Mount Corcovado is as safe as, for example, Red Square in Moscow. Well, or any other main attraction of the city, be it the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower :-). Reliability is protected by the zones from where trains and minibuses depart, delivering tourists to the top of Corcovado. Also, do not worry about a taxi, if this is the method you have chosen to visit the main attraction of Rio de Janeiro - the vast majority of taxi drivers are very friendly towards tourists. If I have already hinted at this, then let's take a closer look at the question of how you can get to the statue of Christ and get to the top of Mount Corcovado.

How to get to the statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro?

• The most carefree and at the same time expensive way to get to the top of Corcovado is to rent a car (or taxi). It was this option that we chose with friends to visit the monument, which I later regretted a little. We rented a taxi for the day, paying about $100 (we were 6 people). The taxi driver took us from the hotel in Corcovado, waited while we see the sights, and then took us to Copacabana beach. All in all, given that there were 6 of us and each paid less than $20, not too bad. I remember very well how at first we did not trust the taxi driver when he immediately asked for the entire amount as an advance payment: what if he gives a “tear” while we are taking pictures with Jesus :-). But after all, you can’t fool us so easily, so we first photographed the car and captured its number. But in the end, we didn’t have to worry about this, the taxi driver actually turned out to be an honest and decent person. Of the minuses - the trip turned out to be very boring and uneventful, we never rode to the top by train.
• The train to the top of the mountain and the statue of Christ is, in my opinion, the most interesting and colorful way. By car, you can run into houses, but by train you don’t get to the top of the mountain every day :-). Of the minuses this option to get to the statue of Christ, I would only note the queues and long wait transport during peak hours. The cost of a round-trip train ride and a visit to the attraction is 46 Brazilian reais ($23). From the beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, the station from which trains run can be reached by buses at numbers 570, 583 and 584.
• Most cheap way visit the main attraction of Rio de Janeiro - use the services of a minibus. The cost of a round trip and entrance in this case will be 27 reais per person (approximately $ 13.5).