The statue of Christ the Redeemer is the great shrine of Rio de Janeiro. Where is the statue of Christ the Savior (Redeemer)

Brazil is different from many others southern countries the fact that there are practically no natural ones in it. Despite the presence on the territory of the state of many mountain ranges, active volcanoes there is no. No devastating floods or dangerous tsunamis were recorded either. The Brazilians themselves believe that on the seventh day the Lord did not rest, but created a great capital. This city is spread among the endless sandy beaches and even climbed the slopes of huge granite rocks. And at the top of one of the highest hills - Corcovado - stands the world-famous statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, as if embracing the city. It is she who, according to the unanimous opinion of all the townspeople, keeps him from all misfortunes.

Statue of the Prophet Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro

The idea of \u200b\u200bcreating some kind of monumental monument - a symbol of the nation, came to mind of one of the city officials back in 1922. Then, across the country, the centenary of Brazil's independence from Portugal was celebrated on a grand scale. Rio de Janeiro at that time was the capital of the state and it was in this city that they decided to erect a grandiose monument on the Corcovado hill, since its top was flat and was an ideal site for construction. In addition, back in 1884, a railway was built leading to this mountain. Through it, multi-ton building materials for the construction of the statue were delivered.

I must say that initially the government of the country planned to create a monument to Christopher Columbus. However, most of the townspeople met with indignation such an offer. About Cruzeiro magazine held a general vote. As a result, it was decided that the statue of Christ the Redeemer will be located in Rio de Janeiro at this very place.

At the design competition, the best idea was to depict Christ with open arms, as if he wanted to embrace the whole city and at the same time resemble a cross. And the symbol christian faith, and compassion, and a desire to help all people was expressed by this figure.

A nationwide collection of money was announced for the construction of a statue of Christ. The church was actively involved in this project and also announced the collection of donations. In a fairly short period of time, a colossal amount for those times was collected - more than 2 million reais. But the financial problem was not the only one. In Brazil at the beginning of the 20th century, there were simply no technological conditions for the creation of such a grandiose building. France came to the rescue. It was in this country that the frame and plaster sketches of the details of the statue were made. They were taken by ships to Brazil, and already on the spot, according to the schemes of soapstone, talcolorite, they completed the main parts of the statue, lifted them up the mountain, where a pedestal of reinforced concrete was already erected, and put them together. By the way, the stone itself was brought from Sweden, and not only French, but also Romanian sculptors worked on the creation of, for example, the head of Christ. The project "Statue of Christ the Redeemer: Rio de Janeiro" was implemented with the participation of other countries.

Opening ceremony of an architectural masterpiece

This super-scale construction was carried out for nine long years. When all the work was completed, the ceremony of consecration and opening of the statue took place. This event was attended by hundreds of thousands of tourists and believing pilgrims from all over the world. A few days before the opening, which, incidentally, took place on October 12, 1931, the statue was covered with a huge panel. Therefore, she appeared before the audience only at night. Hundreds of searchlights suddenly flashed in the pitch darkness, and before the eyes of the astonished audience, a gigantic statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro seemed to soar in the air with arms outstretched to the people. Since then, for 85 years, every day in Rio de Janeiro, any of its happy residents, as well as everyone who visits this city, can watch with delight a similar action that unfolds every evening on the Corcovado hill.

Christ the Redeemer statue: Rio de Janeiro - curious facts from the history of existence

During its existence, the statue, which has become a symbol not only of the city, but of the whole country, has, as usual, “overgrown” with a considerable number of legends, superstitions and curious coincidences. Here are just a few of them:

Although it is officially believed that the idea to create a statue on the hill appeared in 1922, back in the 19th century, namely in 1859, a certain priest - Father Pedro asked Princess Isabella cash for the construction of the statue of Jesus Christ on the Corcovado hill. He even offered to dedicate this building to a lady, but no reciprocal interest from the royal person followed, and the project did not take place.

In 2008, a storm of unprecedented power swept over Rio de Janeiro. In the city and its environs there was a large number of all kinds of destruction: houses, power lines, roads were damaged. But the statue of Jesus remained intact, although, as eyewitnesses could observe, lightning struck it more than once. Atheists attribute this miracle to the dielectric properties of a soapstone, but Christians consider this fact to be a real providence of God.

In 2010, the next one ended in South Africa. At this time, at the foot of the statue, football fans, of whom, as you know, there are a great many in Brazil, posted a banner calling for the 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. As you know, their efforts have been crowned with success - such a boom in the arrival of fans has not been recorded in any championship.

In preparation for celebrating the statue's 50th anniversary, a French artist suggested painting the entire figure blue. In her opinion, it is he who symbolizes the world and should bring it to people. She even received the blessing of the Brazilian bishop. However, when all the necessary equipment was delivered to the site, a real tropical downpour for many hours fell on the city. The statue remained in the usual gray-green color, and the believers believe that the Almighty did not like this idea.

There is no doubt that the statue of Jesus Christ installed in Rio de Janeiro will delight Brazilians and guests of the country for many years to come, and will bring many more amazing miracles. To believe in them or not is a personal choice of each person.

The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro is the pride and heritage of the Brazilian people. The famous monument represents a Christian shrine for pilgrims who visit the divine creation every year.

The opening three-dimensional panorama of urban objects at the foot of the grandiose construction of mankind attracts many tourists from different countries of the world.

The stream of those wishing to join the world's architectural heritage is endless and every year attracts everyone with its grace.

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Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil - summary

The artistic feature of the statue is manifested in the pose of Christ.

The body, which resembles a cross from afar, is a symbol of the Christian faith. The giant's outstretched arms identify both blessing and universal forgiveness. The monument is clearly visible from a distance. The frame of the reinforced concrete structure is covered with soapstone and glass elements.

The divine spectacle is surprising both in the daytime and in the dark. Night spotlights increase the effect of the spiritual value of the monument in the eyes of all believers. The direction of the rays on the sculpture creates the impression of Christ descending from heaven.

Do you know that: the statue of Christ the Redeemer is on the list of the modern 7 wonders of the world.

Dimensions

The impressive appearance of the statue is given by the Corcovado hill, on which it is located. At the very top, the figure of Christ the Redeemer looks both majestic and graceful.

The memorial itself, in terms of its size, belongs to the tallest structures not only of Rio de Janeiro, but also of the world, and reaches a height of 30 meters. The pedestal on which the sculpture is installed is 8 meters high. The weight of the statue is 630 tons, the head is 35.6 tons, each arm weighs 9.1 tons, and the total weight of the structure is 1140 tons. The length of the open arms of Christ the Savior is 28 meters.

History

The idea of \u200b\u200bfounding a statue of Christ in Rio de Janeiro originated in 1859.

The construction was planned on the Corcovado hill - the highest peak of the territory of Rio de Janeiro, reaching an altitude of 704 meters. A curved “hump” hill was best suited for the construction of such an architectural masterpiece. Despite the consent of the church, its construction was impossible due to insufficient funds for construction. By the end of 1884, a railway was built to the hill. Its engineers - Terceir Soares and Pereira Passos were the discoverers of the railway in.

At the beginning of 1921, at the insistence of the Catholic Church, headed by Archbishop Sebastian Leme, donations for the holy monument in the amount of over 2.5 million reais were collected from the townspeople. The church society also provided a large contribution.

The artist of the project was Carlos Oswald. He put forward the idea of \u200b\u200bbuilding a statue with outstretched arms, resembling a cross - a symbol of blessing.

The original sketch was supposed to put the figure of Jesus on a pedestal in the form of a ball. However, this option did not guarantee the stability of the structure and was replaced by engineer Hector de Silva Costa with a rectangular base.

In mid-1921, the construction of the Christ the Savior monument began in Rio de Janeiro, which was timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the country's independence.

The production of parts of the sculpture from reinforced concrete and soapstone (soapstone), which has a soft structure, wear resistance and sufficient resistance to weather cataclysms, took place in France. The hands and head of Jesus were modeled by French sculptor Paul Landowski. The finished parts were transported by rail to the top of the hill, where they were assembled. The planned construction for 1 year was delayed for 9 years.

Note: the solemn opening and consecration of the statue of Christ the Redeemer went down in history as the date - October 12, 1931.

The re-consecration took place with the participation of Pope Paul VI in 1965. At the same time, lighting devices were installed. In 1981, Pope John Paul II attended the 50th anniversary of the statue. In 2000, the night illumination system was modernized. The emergence of escalators to the observation deck facilitated the ascent to the landmark.

Under the great monument to Christ in Rio de Janeiro, there is a small Catholic chapel named after the spiritual minister Noss Aparecida, where divine services, weddings and baptisms are held. It was created for the 75th anniversary of the statue and was consecrated by Archbishop Eusebio Scheid. There is a souvenir shop nearby.

In 2007, the first service of the Russian orthodox Church, which for a long time kept itself apart from the Christian monument. In 2016, as part of the Day of Russian Culture, held in Latin AmericaHis Holiness Patriarch Kirill performed a prayer service with the spiritual choir of the Moscow Diocese on the site near the monument.

You can see a photo of this event in our article.

Many amazing events are associated with this monument:

Note: sightseeing is best inspired in the morning, before the midday heat. This will avoid a large crowd of tourists on the observation area.

How to get there

To visit the majestic structure, you first need to get to the foot of Corcovado. It can be reached by a small electric train along a direct route, about 4 km long. This railway track, called Karakol, actually resembles a snail in shape. For one hour, the capacity of the railway is up to 550 passengers. The electric train runs every 20 minutes.

You can also use car rental or city taxi services. Upon arrival at your destination, you should further walk 40 meters or using an escalator or elevator. The further way to the observation deck is 223 steps of a steep winding staircase.

Please note: the route to the monument on the road passes through a large natural Park Tijuca with local exotic fauna.

Cost and opening hours

The famous landmark of Brazil welcomes guests from 8.00 to 19.00 with free admission. You can get there by electric train, which runs from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm at intervals of 20 minutes. The return ticket is included in the ticket price of R $ 51.

Tourists are offered a helicopter tour to the monument, which costs $ 150 and allows you to take a closer look at the attraction from a bird's eye view.

Take note: you should keep your return train ticket, which is a round trip ticket.

Christ the Redeemer statue - photo

Anyone who has visited the foot of the statue of Christ is impressed how the place turned from an ordinary fort into tourist town... The scale and beauty of the magnificent view of Rio presented to the eyes of every tourist amazes everyone who is on the observation deck.

From its height, you can see many attractions, including the famous Brazilian football players sports complex Maracanu, and the huge territory of the international airport.

You can admire the many kilometers of beaches of Ipanema and Copacabana, view the top of the Sugarloaf in the misty haze. For many believers, climbing the stairs to the statue of Christ means cleansing and forgiving their sins. The outstretched hands of Christ the Redeemer invite everyone under their divine cover.

Watch the video about the most famous statue in the world - the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro:

The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, recognized in 2007 by Internet voting as one of the seven new wonders of the world, is a sacred symbol of Brazil. A gigantic figure, towering at an altitude of 700 meters above sea level, with outstretched arms, blesses the city, as if trying to save it from troubles and misfortunes.

The history of the monument began in 1921. On the eve of the 100th anniversary of Brazilian independence from the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, a competition for the symbol of the nation was announced. The authorship of the original idea of \u200b\u200bthe sculpture, which from afar resembles a giant cross - in the form of Christ with open arms - belongs to the artist Carlos Osvaldo.

The design of the monument in the form in which it is known today was developed by the Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa. As a result of an organized fundraising, to which the church, led by the then Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Don Sebastian Leme, joined, 2.2 million flights were collected for the construction.

All parts of this grandiose structure made of reinforced concrete and soapstone were made with the participation of the sculptor Paul Landowski. For a number of reasons, including technical ones, at that time it was not possible to carry out such work in Brazil, so on its territory the thirty-meter Christ the Redeemer, weighing 1145 tons, was only mounted and installed on an 8-meter marble pedestal. To the top of Mount Corcovado, the details of the statue were delivered by the very first Brazilian electric railroad, built in the early 80s of the 19th century.

Cristo Redentor - VIDEO

The grand opening of the monument and its consecration took place on October 12, 1931, 9 years after the start of construction. And since then, the stream of pilgrims has never stopped trying to admire the spectacular panorama of Rio de Janeiro, its wonderful beaches and the famous and picturesque bay with Sugarloaf Mountain from the observation deck of the building. Many of them, having overcome the 220 steps of the Karakol staircase leading to the foot of the statue, hope to feel the divine grace that pervades this sacred place.

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Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro - PHOTOS

Brazilians came from all over the country to unveil the monument to the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. The number of people wishing to see this grandiose event was so great that not everyone could find themselves at the foot of this remarkable monument that day. The richer people got to the statue, covered with a huge panel, on a special train, the rails of which led directly to the grandiose structure.

Those who were poorer and could not get to the scene of the event prayed on their knees right on the dusty streets of the then capital of the country. Everyone was waiting for the evening.

The night came suddenly and unexpectedly. Despite the fact that such a situation is a common occurrence for these latitudes, many overly impressionable Brazilians thought that darkness had taken over the world forever. And people began to pray not so quietly as before, but loudly, aloud to call on the Lord.

But then the searchlights came on, the bright light of which was directed exactly at the statue. The canvas was pulled off, and before the eyes of the shocked Brazilians appeared the majestic statue of Jesus Christ, hovering above the earth's surface. The Lord spread his arms wide, wanting to embrace all of humanity in his wide open arms, symbolizing love, warmth, tolerance - how effective and strong the Lord's love for people is.

The world famous statue of Christ the Redeemer is located in Rio de Janeiro on the territory national park Tijuca, on Mount Cocovado, which is 709 meters above sea level.

This monument is so huge that its size amazes even experienced travelers:

• Its height is 38 m;
• The span of the open arms is 28 m;
• The statue weighs 1145 tons.

This sculpture is highest point Rio de Janeiro and its surroundings, since its maximum height located at a distance of 747 meters (together with the mountain) above sea level. The statue of Christ the Redeemer looks especially impressive when it gets dark - thanks to the skilful night illumination, it seems that the radiance from it comes from within.

The Brazilians began to illuminate the statue from the day of its official opening and consecration. At first, a specialist was entrusted to manage the searchlights, who at that time was living in Rome, and the distance between him and the statue was much more than 9 thousand km.

He did this with the help of short radio waves - while the system worked pretty well (of course, if there were no serious rains - a characteristic phenomenon for the area).

In bad weather, the signal was constantly interrupted, which negatively affected the operation of the searchlights, since their work became unstable, they were constantly extinguished and turned on again.

The authorities quickly realized that lighting should be controlled on site. And since then, this magnificent spectacle wins people's hearts every evening.

How the statue was erected

At the beginning of the last century, the authorities of Rio de Janeiro decided to erect a monument in honor of the centenary of the Brazilian independence from Portugal.

Thoughts that some interesting monument would look good on this mountain began to come to the city fathers long before they decided to install it there in earnest. Cocovado was convenient for construction because it had a flattened top, and therefore represented an ideal pedestal for a monument of this scale. In addition, by the middle of the 19th century, Rio de Janeiro came close to the mountain, and began to grow around it, which means that something had to be solved with the mountain in order to organically fit it into the city limits.

Concept development

The best sculptors of the country worked on the concept of the statue. It could well look a little differently - the artist Carlos Oswald suggested making it in the shape of a massive huge ball, which would symbolize that everything in this world is in the hands of God.

This concept was considered quite seriously for a while, but in the end it was abandoned, and the best option the idea of \u200b\u200bHeitor da Silva Costa was recognized, who proposed to erect a huge statue of Jesus Christ with open arms (rumor has it that he "borrowed" this idea from the priest Pedro Maria Boss, who, having visited Cocovado in the middle of the 19th century, was so amazed by the view of the mountain, that he had the idea that a statue of Jesus Christ would look good here).

After the idea was approved, the work on the sculpture was entrusted to Paul Landowski, who lived and worked in France, and Costa Hisses did the necessary calculations (while he, together with his two assistants, settled on the top of the mountain and lived there until the very end of construction - not a lot is not enough, almost 10 years)

Fundraising

Since the government did not have money for the construction of such a grandiose structure, activists collected money for the creation of the statue throughout the country: the Kruiser magazine announced a fundraising by subscription, actively raised money and the church. In addition, an event dedicated to this project called "Monument Week" was held, during which a lot of donations were also collected. The activists managed to collect about 250 thousand dollars in an extremely short time. - the amount for those times is simply huge.

Materials

For the transportation of a huge amount of building materials, it was decided to use the building built in the 80s. XIX century. the railroad reaching the very top of the mountain.

In those days, there was no way to create a statue of this level and scale in Brazil itself, so it was made in France, and then, in parts, sent to its destination. Taking into account the size, height and weight of the statue, even in parts, it was quite difficult to do this, since the monument was made of reinforced concrete - a frame and soapstone - an extremely strong, durable, nature-created building material, which has a relatively low weight and increased resistance to damage. , the structure of which gives it the ability to withstand bad weather well.

Construction

It took just a little more than nine years to erect the monument - the opening and consecration of the statue took place on October 12, 1931. In the pedestal of the monument in this moment there is a small active chapel of Nossa Aparecida (Our Lady of Aparecida), named after the patroness of Brazil.

It was not installed here immediately, its grand opening took place in honor of the 75th anniversary of the statue. Despite the fact that this church itself is rather small, divine services, weddings, children are baptized here all the time.

Statue and lightning

Since the statue of Christ the Redeemer is the highest point in the area, it is not surprising that lightning strikes it quite often, which does not cause much damage to it.

Believers believe that this is due to the fact that the statue of Christ the Redeemer is under God's protection. Scientists, however, argue that the whole point is in the dielectric properties of the stone from which the monument was made - it is able to extinguish the electric charge of lightning almost instantly.

In 2014, a terrifying storm swept through here, not only knocking down many trees, but also tearing off more than one roof from the houses - only the tips of the middle and thumb broke off the statue. This did not pose a particular problem, since catholic Church especially for such cases, it keeps a stock of soapstone, so the restoration work did not take much time.

Restoration work

During all this time, the statue was restored several times, the lighting was modernized, and at the beginning of this century - to make it easier for visitors to climb observation deckinstalled escalators. There are services responsible for minor repairs to the monument. For example, when a few years ago it was first disfigured by vandals who painted the monument with black paint, the inscriptions were removed almost immediately.

How to get to the statue

You can get to the top of the mountain, where the statue of Christ the Redeemer is located, by one of two trains, the total length of which is only a little less than 4 thousand meters (the ascent to the mountain is extremely steep). Each such train can accommodate 360 \u200b\u200bpeople, while it departs from the end point every half hour and spends 20 minutes on the way.

Climbing the mountain by train to get to the statue, you need to spend some more time - the station is separated from the foot by 50 meters or 220 steps called "Karakol" ("Snail"), and people with poor health can use an escalator.

From the top of Mount Corcovado, an amazing view opens up - a long strip of Copacabana Beach, Sugar Loaf Peak, and of course, the city, the magical city of Rio de Janeiro! From this point, perhaps, it is impossible to consider only the symbol of the metropolis and the symbol of Brazil - the Statue of Christ the Redeemer, because we are located directly at its foot

The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro is one of the most famous and popular monuments in the world. Every year, millions of tourists climb to its foot, from where a stunning panorama of the city and the bay opens from picturesque mountain Sugar Loaf (port - Pan di Asucar), the famous beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, the huge bowl of the Maracanã stadium.

An electrified railway (the first in Brazil) leads to the top, with a miniature train plying along it. It was built by engineers Pereira Passos and Terceira Soares long before the statue of Christ - in 1882-1884, and later played an important role in the construction of the monument: building materials were delivered up it.

You can also get to the statue by car on the motorway passing through state reserve Tijuca. Tijuca is the largest urban forest in the world

In 1921, the approaching centenary of Brazil's national independence (1922) inspired the city fathers - Rio de Janeiro was then the capital of Brazil - to create a monument to Christ the Redeemer. The magazine "About Cruzeiro" announced a fundraising subscription for the construction of the monument. As a result of the campaign, 2.2 million flights were collected. The church also joined in fundraising: the then Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Don Sebastian Leme, took a great part in the creation of the monument. The construction of the statue lasted about nine years - from 1922 to 1931

The original sketch of the monument was developed by the artist Carlos Oswald. It was he who suggested depicting Christ with his arms outstretched in a blessing gesture, which from a distance the figure would look like a huge cross. In the original version, the pedestal for the statue was supposed to have the shape the globe... The final design of the monument was developed by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa

Since for a number of reasons, including technological, it was impossible to create such a huge sculpture in Brazil at that time, all its details, including the frame, were made in France. In 1924, the French sculptor Paul Landowski finished modeling the head (3.75 meters high) and arms of the statue. Disassembled, all parts of the monument were delivered to Brazil and transported by rail to the top of Mount Corcovado. From the end point of the rail track to the foot of the statue, a winding staircase of 220 steps was built, nicknamed "Karakol" ("Snail"), and in the thickness of the marble base - a small chapel

On October 12, 1931, the grand opening and consecration of the monument, which became the symbol of Rio de Janeiro, took place.

In 1965, the statue was re-consecrated by Pope Paul VI, and in 1981 Pope John Paul II attended the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the monument.

Over the past 75 years, the statue has been repaired twice - in 1980 and 1990. In 1932 and 2000, the night illumination system was modernized. In 2003, the ascent leading to the observation deck was equipped with escalators.

In 2007, the statue was selected as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Let us give a series interesting facts about this incredible structure:

• By the statue Christ the Redeemer there are several doubles. For example, the statue of Christo Rei (Christ the King), which is located in Lisbon (built in 1949-1959). Its height is about 28 meters, but instead of a hill, a pedestal of about 80 meters is used.
• In Vung Tau (Vietnam), a similar statue of Christ with open arms was erected in 1972. It stands on a small hill (132 meters high) and has the following parameters: the height is 32 meters, and the arm span is just under 20 meters.
• On the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia (a Muslim country!) In 2007, the construction of a 30-meter giant depicting Jesus Christ with his arms outstretched over the metropolis of Monado was completed.
• There is even a stone Jesus Christ in East Timor, near the capital of the state - Dili (the height of the monument is 27 meters).
• Sculptures depicting Jesus were also erected in Malta, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Honduras. It is planned to build similar monuments in Slovakia and Germany.
• The very statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro is often identified with other grandiose architectural structures past and present -