Rio de Janeiro's reinforced concrete Christ the Redeemer statue The statue is composed of reinforced concrete and is coated in a mosaic of thousands of triangular soapstone tiles. It rests on a square stone pedestal base that is roughly 26 feet (8 metres) high and is located on a platform above the mountain's peak. The statue itself is 105 feet (32 metres) tall, making it the largest bronze monument in the world.
For its size, the statue has a considerable impact on viewings of the city. The image of Christ the Redeemer gazing out over Rio de Janeiro has become one of the city's most recognizable landmarks. In addition to being a religious figure for many Catholics, Christ the Redeemer also serves as a symbol of peace for those who believe him to be watching over them.
Christ the Redeemer was created by Brazilian artist Rodolfo Borges. He began work on the statue in 1930 and it was completed four years later. The statue has been called "the most popular icon in Brazil" because so many people believe they can obtain help from God through Christ the Redeemer.
Borges used his friends as models for some of the statue's features. One of these is a young man named Henrique Calisto who served as a model for part of Christ the Redeemer's face. Calisto was born in what is now Argentina but grew up in Rio de Janeiro.
That is nearly the equivalent of $3.2 million in US dollars today. The statue had to be built in sections and brought to the mountain top before it could be installed. Reinforced concrete and soapstone were utilized to construct Christ the Redeemer. The right arm points to Rio de Janeiro South, while the left arm points to Rio de Janeiro North. The face of Jesus is depicted with compassion and love.
It was designed by Brazilian artist Henrique Campos Correa and constructed by Italian sculptor Giovanni Borgnetto. The base is from France and the copper plates are from England. Work on the statue began in 1930 and it was completed in 1935. Christ the Redeemer has become a symbol of hope for many people around the world.
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01: Christ the Redeemer is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone. 02: Christ the Redeemer is a cultural icon of Brazil. 03: The Vicentian priest Pedro Maria Boss first suggested that the statue should be placed at Mount Corcovado, but it was rejected in the 1850s. 04: The proposal was again considered in 1877, but once more rejected because there were no funds available for such an undertaking.
05: Finally, in 1902, the proposal was accepted again. Work began that same year and finished in 1930. 06: The statue was opened to the public on December 10, 1931. It remains one of the main attractions of Rio de Janeiro today.
07: Reinforced concrete is any type of concrete used in construction projects where high loads are expected or required to be carried for a long time without replacement. Common examples include bridges, buildings, and dams.
08: Soapstone is a hard, porous stone found in only a few places on Earth. It's mostly used as a countertop material because of its attractive look and feel. The statue itself weighs about 20,000 pounds (9,091 kg).
09: Mount Corcovado is a mountain near Rio de Janeiro with several peaks reaching up to 1492 feet (455 m) above sea level. It's known as the "Throne of God" because of its resemblance to a throne.
The Redeemer, Jesus Christ (statue)
| Location | Corcovado mountain, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
| Designer | Designed by sculptor Paul Landowski and built by engineer Heitor da Silva Costa in collaboration with Albert Caquot. Sculptor Gheorghe Leonida created the face |
| Material | Soapstone |
| Width | 28 metres (92 ft) |
| National Historic Heritage of Brazil | |
|---|---|
The Christ the Redeemer monument has stood atop Mount Corcovado, overlooking Rio de Janeiro, since it was finished in 1931. It is 98 feet tall on a 26-foot plinth and has a 92-foot arm reach. However, at the end of this year, it will no longer be the largest Jesus statue in Brazil. That title will now fall to the new Christ the Redeemer sculpture being built near Rio's main airport.
Other large statues of Jesus can be found in Jerusalem, New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.
Christ the Redeemer was created by Brazilian artist Rodolfo Caldeira. The statue is based on a sketch made by Caldeira while he was suffering from tuberculosis. He asked that if his death were to come first, that it should be used for something good. So, his family put his design into practice and bought the land up ahead of time so they could keep building even after his death.
Caldeira also designed another famous statue called "Evangelist Bartholomew" which is found in Brasília. Evangelist Bartholomew is held upside down so he can preach to all nations.
The Christ the Redeemer statue was finished in 1931 and is 98 feet (30 meters) tall, with horizontally spread arms extending 92 feet (28 metres). The monument has come to represent both the city of Rio de Janeiro and the whole country of Brazil. Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue was designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer.
Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue was planned as a tribute to Jesus Christ who is said to have saved people from persecution and evil deeds. He has been portrayed as a savior because he died on the cross to save mankind from their sins.
Christ the Redeemer was built as an act of faith in response to a prayer by priest Dom Pedro II who asked that a statue be erected to honor those who worked during his reign who had suffered death for their beliefs. When it was completed, it was the largest sculpture in the world by number of bones in its body (22,000). It remains one of the largest bronze statues in existence.
Dom Pedro II was an emperor of Brazil who ruled from 1825 until his death in 1889. He was responsible for much advancement within his country including creation of many laws that supported freedom of religion. Before he became an emperor, he wanted to be a priest so he could help others with his knowledge of religion. However, because there were no schools in Brazil at the time, he had to travel to Europe to study.
Christ the Redeemer was built with reinforced concrete and has a 6 million soapstone tile exterior casing. Christ the Redeemer was not constructed in Brazil. It was initially constructed in France by French artist Paul Landowski, who built the monument out of clay parts. It was later completed by Brazilian Artistic Director João Bosco in 1975.
Bosco wanted to create a work of art that would offer hope to those suffering from poverty and violence. He also wanted the statue to be a symbol for peace between Brazil and its rival country, Argentina. When construction on the statue began in 1973, it was not known at the time that it would become such a popular tourist attraction. Today, it is one of the most photographed monuments in Rio de Janeiro.
An elevator brings visitors up close to the statue's feet. The top of the statue is covered in gold leaf and there are several other places along the road where you can see Jesus painted red, white, and blue, the Brazilian national colors.
In addition to being a famous landmark, Christ the Redeemer is also used as a place of worship for people of many different religions. Each day at noon, musicians play music near the statue as people come to pray or just to admire the view.
The Christ the Redeemer statue is a favorite subject for photographers.
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