A massive white concrete statue of Christ the Redeemer with arms outstretched, overlooking the mountainous landscape and beaches of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil’s most exciting city. On paper, the scene is stunning, but in person, it’s even more so. The statue has been defending Rio de Janeiro for more than 90 years, and no one can envision Rio’s cityscape without it.
Here are some facts about Christ the Redeemer as mentioned by On the go tours.
1. The statue of Christ the Redeemer was not constructed in Brazil. French sculptor Paul Landowski built the statue in clay parts for the first time in France. These were subsequently moved to Brazil, where Brazilian architect Heitor da Silva Costa and French engineer Albert Caquot recreated them out of reinforced concrete.
2. The statue took nine years to build. It began in 1922 and was completed in 1931 at $250,000 US.
3. The title of the statue is amazing. It was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007, with the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, and Petra’s Rose City.
4. It’s among the world’s biggest Jesus statues and the world’s highest art deco statue. Christ the Redeemer stands 30 metres tall with a 28-meter arm span.
5. Christ the Redeemer is made of reinforced concrete and has a 6 million soapstone tile exterior casing. It’s thought that the workmen who manufactured these tiles left notes on the back now and then, implying that this iconic landmark is full of hidden meanings.
6. The statue is vulnerable to lightning strikes due to its mountainside location, and it is struck three to six times a year. Lightning struck the statue and broke one of its thumbs just before the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
7. The statue’s original design differed from what we see today. Instead of two extended arms, Christ was supposed to be carrying a globe in one hand and a cross in the other.
8.The statue’s light-colored stone was sourced from a quarry near the city of Ouro Preto. However, because this stone is in scarce supply, restoration work must be done with other varieties. As a result, a darker stone is progressively replacing the original, resulting in Christ the Redeemer becoming darker.
9. Nearly 2 million people visit Christ the Redeemer each year. During Easter 2011, a massive 14,000 people visited the statue in a single day, setting a new record.
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