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Christ the Redeemer

Christ the Redeemer statue
Christ the Redeemer statue, Rio de
Janeiro.
whole nation of Brazil.
Christ the Redeemer, colossal statue of Jesus Christ
at the summit of Mount Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro,
southeastern Brazil. Celebrated in traditional and
popular songs, Corcovado towers over Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil’s principal port city. The statue of Christ the
Redeemer was completed in 1931 and stands 98 feet
(30 metres) tall, its horizontally outstretched arms
spanning 92 feet (28 metres). The statue has become
emblematic of both the city of Rio de Janeiro and the

The statue, made of reinforced concrete clad in a mosaic of thousands of triangular

soapstone tiles, sits on a square stone pedestal base about 26 feet (8 metres) high, which
itself is situated on a deck atop the mountain’s summit. The statue is the largest Art Deco-
style sculpture in the world.

In the 1850s the Vincentian priest Pedro Maria Boss

suggested placing a Christian monument on Mount
Corcovado to honour Isabel, princess regent of Brazil
and the daughter of Emperor Pedro II, although the
project was never approved. In 1921 the Roman
statue of Christ the Redeemer, Catholic archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro proposed that a
Rio de Janeiro
statue of Christ be built on the 2,310-foot (704-metre)
summit, which, because of its commanding height,
would make it visible from anywhere in Rio. Citizens petitioned Pres. Epitácio Pessoa to
allow the construction of the statue on Mount Corcovado.

Permission was granted, and the foundation stone of

the base was ceremonially laid on April 4, 1922—to
commemorate the centennial on that day of Brazil’s
independence from Portugal—although the
monument’s final design had not yet been chosen.

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Christ the Redeemer statue on That same year a competition was held to find a
Mount Corcovado
designer, and the Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva
Christ the Redeemer statue on Mount
Corcovado (foreground), overlooking
Costa was chosen on the basis of his sketches of a
Rio de Janeiro. figure of Christ holding a cross in his right hand and
the world in his left. In collaboration with Brazilian
artist Carlos Oswald, Silva Costa later amended the plan; Oswald has been credited with the
idea for the figure’s standing pose with arms spread wide. The French sculptor Paul
Landowski, who collaborated with Silva Costa on the final design, has been credited as the
primary designer of the figure’s head and hands. Funds were raised privately, principally by
the church. Under Silva Costa’s supervision, construction began in 1926 and continued for
five years. During that time materials and workers were transported to the summit via
railway.

After its completion, the statue was dedicated on

October 12, 1931. Over the years it has undergone
periodic repairs and renovations, including a thorough
cleaning in 1980, in preparation for the visit of Pope
John Paul II to Brazil that year, and a major project in
Christ the Redeemer statue on 2010, when the surface was repaired and refurbished.
Mount Corcovado, Rio de Janeiro
Escalators and panoramic elevators were added
beginning in 2002; previously, in order to reach the
statue itself, tourists climbed more than 200 steps as the last stage of the trip. In 2006, to
mark the statue’s 75th anniversary, a chapel at its base was consecrated to Our Lady of
Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil.

Lorraine Murray

Citation Information
Article Title: Christ the Redeemer
Website Name: Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published: 30 December 2023
URL: https://www.britannica.comhttps://www.britannica.com/topic/Christ-the-Redeemer
Access Date: February 29, 2024

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