Statue of Jesus Christ as a wonder of the world

1.

Statue of Jesus Christ as a wonder of the
world
Религия

2.

General information
Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. The statue is 120 ft tall and has a weight of
635 tones. It is now a part of the new Seven Wonders of the
World. It is located in the Corcovado Mountain which is at a
peak of 700 meters. The statue is made of concrete and
soapstone. As a symbol of Christianity, it has become an
important icon of Brazil, with Jesus Christ appearing to open
his arms wide to embrace the entire city below.

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Building a statue
It was 1850s when for the first time it was suggested to make
the statue of Christ on the top of Carcovado by a catholic
priest called Pedro Maria Boss. The request of the finance
was sent to Princess Isabel to build this huge religious
mountain. Initially, the idea was not thought to be a very good
one. It was only in 1921, when a need and a proposal of a
large landmark were thought about and finally the statue was
made by the catholics of Rio.

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During this time, in order to gain more publicity, a group organized an event for a
week where donations were taken from the public and signatures were taken for
those who were in favor of the making of the statue. Most of the donations came
from the Brazilian Catholics. A lot of suggestions were given; some suggest that
the cross of the Christ should be represented along with Christ, or an idol of Jesus
with a globe in his hands. But finally, a statue of Jesus with open arms was
chosen. Construction of this religious symbol took nine years to complete,
beginning in 1922 and ending in February of 2008. Then the statue was struck by
lightning during a thunderstorm. Several trees were felled by that storm, but the
statue was left unscathed, because it was made with a top layer of soapstone,
which is a good protection.

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Interesting fact
inside the statue there
was a space for a chapel,
in which the usual ritual
activities are performed.
The chapel was built in
honor of the 75th
anniversary of the
monument.