Christ the Redeemer is a 98-foot tall art deco statue of Jesus located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that was completed in 1931 to serve as a symbol of Brazilian Christianity. It took over 9 years to construct using reinforced concrete and soapstone. Today it is one of the most iconic landmarks in Rio de Janeiro and was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.

1. CHRIST THE REDEEMER

2.  Christ the Redeemer is a statue in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil that was built as a
symbol of Brazilian Christianity. In
1850, the idea of building a religious
monument was first suggested by a
Catholic Priest Pedro Maria Boss. The
design was chosen from several ideas
and construction began in the 1920s,
taking nine years to finish. Today,
Christ the Redeemer is one of the
New Seven Wonders of the World.

3. Interesting Christ the Redeemer
Facts:
 Christ the Redeemer is the largest art deco
statue in the world. It is 98 feet tall (not
including the 26 foot pedestal), and the
arms stretch to 92 feet wide.
 The statue weighs approximately 635 tons
 Christ the Redeemer is located in the Tijuca
Forest National Forest, at the top of the
Corcovado Mountain.
 The statue is considered an icon of Rio de
Janeiro and Brazil.

4.  Christ the Redeemer is the 4th tallest statue of
Jesus.
 The first suggestion to build a large religious
monument was made in the 1850s by a Catholic
priest names Pedro Maria Boss. The request for
financing wasn't approved because Princess
Isabel was not a fan of the idea. The request was
officially denied in 1889 when Brazil mandated
the separation of church and state. A petition
started by a group in the early 1920s, called the
Catholic Circle of Rio, was successful.
Construction began in 1922 and took nine years
to complete.
 The money to build Christ the Redeemer came

5.  The stones that were used to build Christ
the Redeemer came from Sweden.
 The statue was completed in 1931. It
officially opened on October 12, 1931.
 The cost in 1931 was approximately
$250,000 US. Today that would roughly be
the equivalent of $3.2 million US.
 The statue had to be constructed in pieces
and carried to the mountain top to be
erected.

6.  The materials used to build Christ the
Redeemer were reinforced concrete and
soapstone.
 The right arm points to south Rio de
Janeiro and the left arm points to north Rio
de Janeiro.
 In 2008 a violent electrical storm resulted in a
lightning strike to the statue. The head, eyebrows
and fingers were damaged. The soapstone
exterior of the statue prevented severe damage
as it acted as an insulator. The Rio de Janeiro
state government began a restoration effort. They
replaced some layers of soapstone and repaired

7.  All the stone used in restoration efforts came
from the same quarry as the original stone.
 Christ the Redeemer was vandalized in 2010 by
a housepainter. He had sprayed the head and
right arm with graffiti. The culprit was later
identified.
 In 2003 there were escalators, elevators and
walkways installed. These made it possible to
access the platform that surrounds Christ the
Redeemer.
 This statue became one of the New Seven
Wonders of the World on July 7th, 2007.

9.  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 2010, when the surface was
repaired and refurbished.
 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.
 The Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa
was chosen on the basis of his sketches of a

10.  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.
 It has 12 Floors.