HISTORY OF CHRIST THE REDEEMER

Christ the Redeemer is the 4th largest statue of Jesus in the world and is considered a symbol of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. This statue of Jesus Christ weighs about 635 tons and is located in the Tijuca National Forest on top of the Corcovado Mountains. A local Catholic priest named Pedro Maria Boss in the 1850s came up with the suggestion of constructing a colossal statue of Christ in Rio atop Mount Corcovado. Then, he requested the daughter of the then Emperor Pedro II and the Princess Regent of Brazil to fund this project. But after the declaration of the Republic in Brazil in 1889, this idea was scrapped and the church as a top was separated from the state in the country. It was not built until after World War I when a group of Roman Catholic fanatics and local people in Rio began to worry about the lack of religious faith in the Brazilian community. In the 1920s Christ, the Redeemer statue was commissioned by a group called the Catholic Circle of Rio. The erection of the statue began in 1922 and took nine years to complete. The fund to make Christ the Redeemer came from the Catholic community of Brazil.

After this, a massive statue of Jesus was anticipated to be positioned on top of a mountain in Rio but later it was proposed that the statue of Jesus be sited on top of Mount Corcovado so that it could be seen from anywhere in Rio de Janeiro. The statue was completed in 1931 and was officially opened on 12 October 1931. The cost of the statue in 1931 was nearly US$250,000. Reinforced concrete and soapstone brought from Sweden were used to build Christ the Redeemer. The idol was built in pieces and afterward, it was taken to the top of the mountain to be installed. The right hand of the statue is facing south of Rio de Janeiro and the left hand is facing north of Rio de Janeiro. In 2008, the idol's head, eyebrows, and fingers were damaged due to lightning. The outer stone of the idol prevented much damage as this stone acted as an insulator for the idol. The state government of Rio de Janeiro began restoration work and replaced some of the soapstone and repaired the statue's lightning rods. All stonework used in the restoration efforts was brought from the quarry. In 2010, a housepainter sprayed spray paint on the statue's head and right arm at Is the Redeemer, but the culprit was later identified. The statue is illuminated every night with about 300 energy-efficient green- and yellow-colored LED lights. Due to these lights, the Christ the Redeemer statue can be seen even from a far distance. The Christ the Redeemer statue is believed to depict a cross but it is also said to be in a hugging posture and is said to show Rio the way to regain Christianity.