CHRIST THE REDEEMER

Prepared by: Nikka Kaj – Ryle Tutor

History

•Mid 1850’s: Pedro Maria Boss laid eyes upon the Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro

he imagined a monument to his faith placed upon it for all to see

• 1889: Overthrow of the Brazilian monarchy

separation of church and state was proclaimed

•1921: New proposal emerged for the construction of a religious monument atop Corcovado

Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro itself gave voice to the new scheme

• Artist Carlos Oswaldo was commissioned to design the statue

• A concept drawn up by Brazilian civil engineer Heitor da Silva Costa was chosen

•1926: Work on the Christ the Redeemer statue began

French sculptor Paul Landowski (of Polish ancestry) was placed in charge of construction

• Christ the Redeemer was built using reinforced concrete, with the outer layers clad in soapstone

• 12 October 1931: the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro was completed, opening ceremony took place 

• 2007: the statue of Christ the Redeemer was selected as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. 

Facts

•Christ the Redeemer is the largest art deco statue in the world. It is 98 feet tall (not including the 26 foot pedestal), and the arms stretch to 92 feet wide.

•The statue weighs approximately 635 tons.

•Christ the Redeemer is located in the Tijuca Forest National Forest, at the top of the Corcovado Mountain.

•The statue is considered an icon of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.

•The cost in 1931 was approximately $250,000 US. Today that would roughly be the equivalent of $3.2 million US.

•The statue had to be constructed in pieces and carried to the mountain top to be erected.

•The right arm points to south Rio de Janeiro and the left arm points to north Rio de Janeiro.

• In 2008 a violent electrical storm resulted in a lightning strike to the statue. The head, eyebrows and fingers were damaged. The soapstone exterior of the statue prevented severe damage as it acted as an insulator. The Rio de Janeiro state government began a restoration effort. They replaced some layers of soapstone and repaired the lightning rods on the statue.

• In 2003 there were escalators, elevators and walkways installed. These made it possible to access the platform that surrounds Christ the Redeemer.

References

•Boris Fauste, A Concise History of Brazil, 1999

•www.suite.ico•www.softschools.com•www.googleimages.com•adventure.howstuffworks.com