World’s tallest Christ statue comes up in Brazil; 5 m taller than Christ the Redeemer
‘Christ the Protector’ is replacing Rio de Janeiro’s famous ‘Christ the Redeemer’ as the tallest Jesus Christ statue, which according to Robison Gonzatti, vice president of the association that sponsored the statue, “…is the largest Christ in the world.” Gonzatti said this to Reuters.
According to Newsweek, work on ‘Christ the Protector’ was completed in the small town of Encantado in Brazil’s southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul on April 22. The new statue is 43 metres (141 feet) high compared to Rio’s statue, which is 38 metres (125 feet).
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The new statue was sculpted by artist Markus Moura from Brazil’s Ceara State. Work on the statue began in 2019 and has been funded by local businesses in the region. It is built with concrete over a metal structure and has been erected on a hill above the town. “I got very emotional. It’s a feeling I can’t quite explain,” Moura was quoted by Newsweek.
Part of tourist complex
The statue has an observation point for visitors who can look out through a large heart-shaped window. The venue will open to the public sometime next year as the statue is part of one of several stages in building a tourist complex still under construction.
As per the Newsweek report, the visitation currently includes access to the construction complex, with the accompaniment of local conductors, where it is possible to observe the artwork already completed. According to site managers, more than 50,000 people, including tourists from 21 different countries, have already visited the monument.
‘Christ the Protector’ will be the main attraction of the complex. The park around the statue is reportedly being built with the help of donations from the local community from all over Brazil and abroad. The idea of the statute was of local mayor Adroaldo Conzatti who died of COVID-19 in March 2021.
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