Christ the Redeemer

The statue

The statue is 30 metres high and made of concrete and soapstone

Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus, created by the French-Polish sculptor Paul Landowski. It is 30 metres high, excluding its 8-metre pedestal, and its arms stretch 28 metres wide. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone.

30 metreshigh, not counting the 8-metre pedestal

Proposals

A statue was proposed in the 1850s, dropped in 1889 and proposed again in 1920

A Christian monument on Mount Corcovado was first suggested in the mid-1850s but not approved, and it was dismissed in 1889 when the country became a republic. The Catholic Circle of Rio made a second proposal in 1920 and organized Monument Week to raise donations.

Building it

Concrete, not steel, was chosen, and the work took nine years

Engineers felt a reinforced concrete structure designed by Albert Caquot was more suitable than steel for the cross-shaped statue. The outer layers are soapstone, chosen for its enduring qualities and ease of use. Construction took nine years, from 1922 to 1931.

Opening day

Marconi was to switch on the lights from Rome, but the weather stopped it

The monument opened on October 12, 1931. The statue was to be lit by floodlights turned on remotely by Guglielmo Marconi, stationed in Rome, but because of bad weather the lights were activated on site.

Lightning

Lightning struck the statue in 2008 and again in 2014

Lightning struck during a violent thunderstorm on February 10, 2008, causing some damage to the fingers, head and eyebrows. It struck again on January 17, 2014, dislodging a finger on the right hand. The 2010 restoration used stone from the original quarry.

60,000pieces of stone used in the 2010 restoration