By Donatas Dabravolskas – Wikimedia

Top 10 Facts about Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro


 

This statue is considered an icon of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. It stands tall and in its full splendour at the top Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro.

One cannot miss spotting this monument that is one of the seven wonders of the world. The statue gets millions of visitors annually who either hike up or use the rail carts to get to the statue.

Almost everyone has heard of the Christ the Redeemer, but not its history and other interesting facts about it.

Christ the Redeemer statue symbolizes different things one of them being Brazilian Christianity. This was after a catholic priest suggested having a religious symbol in the city.

There is a lot about this massive landmark that you did not know. I have put together the top 10 facts about Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.

1. Christ the Redeemer weighs 635 tons

This statue weighs about 635 tons and stands on top of Corcovado mountain at 2,300 feet.

The statue is 98 feet long and 92 feet wide. It overlooks the city of Rio de Janeiro. This statue has been for the longest time been seen as a symbol of Christianity across the world.

Christ the Redeemer has always been a cultural icon of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. It has been listed as one of the seven wonders of the world.

This statue is the largest art deco statue in the whole world made of concrete and soapstone.

2. The statue was built in France

By Dennis Jarvis – Wikimedia

Christ the Redeemer may be standing tall in Tijuca forest in Rio de Janeiro but it was not built on Brazilian soil. A Brazilian engineer, Heitor da Silva Costa, is responsible for the design of the statue.

The statue was made in France by Paul Landowski, a French sculptor. He created the statue in clay pieces which were shipped to Brazil.

On reaching Brazil, they were put together by a Brazilian engineer known as Heitor da Silva Costa and another French engineer Albert Caquot.

The face of the statue was designed by Gheorghe Leonida from Romania. These engineers worked on the statue between 1922 and 1931.

3. It almost took a decade to complete Christ the Redeemer Statue

The designing and construction of the statue took 9 years. Construction work began in 1922 with the final touches being done in 1931.

The cost of the entire process was $250,000 US. It was inaugurated in October 1931.

It took a long time to construct the statue because of its gigantic size and location. Mount Corcovado was covered with thick vegetation that needed lots of clearing.

Despite the long duration it took to be completed, Christ the Redeemer has been around for more than 89 years and still counting.

4. The original design was different

You may not have known this, but the original design of the statue was different from what is seen today.

The initial design that was accepted by the project organisers had the statue holding a globe in one hand and a cross in the other. They even had a name for the statue, Christ with a Ball. That design was changed to two open arms.

This new design of open arms was chosen because of its symbolism. The arms are shaped like a cross symbolizing the loving embrace of Christ.

5. A Vincentian priest, Pedro Maria Boss, was the one who proposed a Christian monument on Mount Corcovado

By Mucio Scorzelli – Wikimedia

The first person to ever think of having a religious statue on top of Mount Corcovado was a Vincentian priest Pedro Maria Boss.

This was back in the 1850s. He suggested this in honour of Princess Isabel, the daughter of Emperor Pedro II, of Brazil.

His idea was however dismissed since the church and the state were separating.

Later in 1920, a second proposal about a landmark on the mountain was made. The group, Catholic Circle of Rio, organized a campaign to raise funds and signatures for approval of the monument.

This came about to take Rio back to its former glory of being a godly city.

6. Lightning has struck Christ the Redeemer statue more than twice

The saying that goes lightning does not strike the same place twice does not apply to Christ the Redeemer. Its location on top of the mountain makes it prone to lightning strikes.

In 2008 during a violent thunderstorm, the fingers, head and eyebrows of the statue were destroyed.

This was fixed and the government further restored the outer soapstone layer and lightning rods on the statue. Another lightning struck the statue in 2014 severing one finger on the right hand.

7. Christ the Redeemer Statue may look different in future

By Donatas Dabravolskas – Wikimedia

An interesting fact about Christ the Redeemer statue is that is gradually changing its colour.

The original designer, Silva Costa, chose light coloured soapstone from a quarry in Ouro Preto city, Minas Gerais.

This type of stone is rare and no longer available meaning that the restoration work has been done using different types of stones. These stones are darker hence change the original light colour of the statue.

8. There is a Chapel at the foot of the statue

One can find a small chapel at the base of the massive statue. It was built to celebrate the monument’s 75th anniversary in 2006.

The chapel, dedicated to Our Lady of Aparecida, hosts intimate weddings. It is closed most of the time but one can peek inside since it was designed like a grid.

9. More than 100 people helped restore the statue

In 1990, the statue needed a facelift. Several organizations came together to do the restoration work. This was followed by more restoration work in 2003.

The location of the statue makes it prone to erosion from the wind, water and lightning. This means that constant restoration work is needed.

In 2010, the restoration work took about four months. The renovation work was done on the statue and the structures surrounding it.

One hundred people that did the restoration work used more than 60,000 pieces of stone.

10. More than 10 million people visit the statue annually

By Mucio Scorzelli – Wikimedia

Christ the Redeemer receives millions of visitors annually. In a single day, more than 15,000 people visit the statue either by hiking up or using the train.

The first tourists to ever see the statue was in 1931 during its unveiling. For those that up for more adventure, there are 200 steps that lead up to the foot of the statue.

There are also escalators and elevators to make it easy for tourists to access the landmark.

Planning a trip to Paris ? Get ready !


These are Amazon’s best-selling travel products that you may need for coming to Paris.

Bookstore

  1. The best travel book : Rick Steves – Paris 2023 – Learn more here
  2. Fodor’s Paris 2024 – Learn more here

Travel Gear

  1. Venture Pal Lightweight Backpack – Learn more here
  2. Samsonite Winfield 2 28″ Luggage – Learn more here
  3. Swig Savvy’s Stainless Steel Insulated Water Bottle – Learn more here

Check Amazon’s best-seller list for the most popular travel accessories. We sometimes read this list just to find out what new travel products people are buying.