Christ the Redeemer
Statue of Christ the Redeemer is located at the top of Corcovado Mountain at a height of 710 meters, Statue of Christ the Redeemer Brazil is certainly one of the world’s best known and most visited monuments. The statue of Christ the Redeemer represents Jesus standing with outstretched, welcoming arms and is one of the most famous symbols of this lively city.
The entire monument of statue of Christ the Redeemer is 38m high with the statue accounting for 30m, the span from finger tip to fingertip is 28m and there is a small chapel housed in the base. As a vantage point it offers superb views of downtown Rio de Janeiro, the bay, Sugarloaf Mountain and Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches.
The idea of a religious statue was first conceived in 1921 by Carlos Oswaldo who sketched out a design of Christ carrying a cross. When engineer Heitor da Silva Costa was commissioned to build the monument he enlisted the aid of Polish sculptor Paul Landowski and the design was changed to its current form and it was agreed that the statue would be sculpted in France (unlike the Statue of Liberty it was not a gift from France).
In October 2006, on the statue’s 75th anniversary, Archbishop of Rio Cardinal Eusebio Oscar Scheid consecrated a chapel (named after the patron saint of Brazil—Nossa Senhora Aparecida, or “Our Lady of the Apparition,”) under the statue. This allows Catholics to hold baptisms and weddings there.
On July 7, 2007, in Lisbon , Christ the Redeemer was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a list compiled by the Swiss-based The New Open World Corporation.Leading corporate sponsors, including Banco Bradesco and Rede Globo, had lobbied to have the statue voted into the top seven.
The best time to visit Christ the Redeemer Statue is evening or nighttime when you can additionally appreciate the stunning lights of Rio. Easter and Christmas Eves are the busiest times to visit the statue.
Most visitors will enjoy the comfort and ease of the Corcovado Rack Railway along with the changing scenery of the forest as it tracks its way up to the granite domed pinnacle. But for the more serious adventurer Corcovado is climbable. The south face contains over 50 climbing routes, but beware these are not hiking trails. Experienced, capable, outfitted rock climbers will relish the challenge.
Many visitors to Brazil seek out the unusual, unique, out of the way and off the beaten path experiences not found in your rudimentary tour guide. Commendable as that is, a trip to the top of Corcovado Mountain should not be missed. Regardless of how you get there.