CHRIST THE REDEEMER

Christ the Redeemer (Portuguese: Cristo Redentor) is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de

Janeiro, Brazil; considered the second largest Art Decostatue in the world.[1][2][citation needed] The
statue is 39.6 metres (130 ft) tall, including its 9.5 meter (31 feet) pedestal, and 30 metres (98 ft)
wide. It weighs 635 tonnes (700 short tons), and is located at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300
ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city. A symbol
of Christianity, the statue has become an icon of Rio and Brazil.[3] It is made of reinforced
concrete and soapstone, and was constructed between 1922 and 1931.[1][4][5]

The idea for erecting a large statue atop Corcovado was first suggested in the mid-1850s,
when Catholicpriest Pedro Maria Boss requested financing from Princess Isabel to build a large
religious monument. Princess Isabel did not think much of the idea and it was dismissed in 1889,
when Brazil became arepublic with laws mandating the separation of church and state.[6] The
second proposal for a landmarkstatue on the mountain was made in 1921 by the Catholic Circle
of Rio.[7] The group organised an event called Semana do Monumento ("Monument Week") to
attract donations and collect signatures to support the building of the statue. The donations came
mostly from Brazilian Catholics.[1] The designs considered for the "Statue of the Christ" included
a representation of the Christian cross, a statue of Jesus with a globe in his hands, and
a pedestal symbolizing the world.[8] The statue of Christ the Redeemer with open arms was
chosen. It is a symbol of peace as well. There are small spikes on top of the statue in order to
prevent birds from resting on it.

A view of the statue from the back.

Local engineer Heitor da Silva Costa designed the statue; it was sculpted by French sculptor Paul

Landowski.[9] A group of engineers and technicians studied Landowski's submissions and the
decision was made to build the structure out of reinforced concrete (designed by Albert Caquot)
instead of steel, more suitable for the cross-shaped statue.[6] The outer layers are soapstone,
chosen for its enduring qualities and ease of use.[4] Construction took nine years, from 1922 to
1931 and cost the equivalent of US$250,000 ($3,068,097 in 2011). The monument was opened
on October 12, 1931.[4][5] The statue was meant to be lit by a battery of floodlights triggered
remotely by shortwave radio pioneerGuglielmo Marconi, stationed 5,700 miles (9,200 km) away
in Rome[7], but poor weather affected the signal and it had to be lit by workers in Rio.[6]

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.[5]

The statue was struck by lightning during a violent electrical storm on Sunday, February 10,
2008 and suffered some damage on the fingers, head and eyebrows. A restoration effort was put
in place by the Rio de Janeiro state government and archdiocese, to replace some of the outer
soapstone layers and repair the lightning rods installed on the statue.[10][11][12]

On April 15, 2010 graffiti was sprayed on the statue's head and right arm. Mayor Eduardo
Paes called the act "a crime against the nation" and vowed to jail the vandals, even offering a
reward of R$ 10,000 on any information that may lead to an arrest.[13][14] The Military
Police eventually identified house painter Paulo Souza dos Santos as the suspect of the act of
vandalism.
New Seven Wonders of the World
On 7 July 2007, 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. [15] Leading corporate
sponsors, including Banco Bradesco and Rede Globo, had lobbied to have the statue voted into
the top seven.[16]
Restoration
Declared a protected monument by the National Heritage Institute, IPHAN, in 2009, the Christ
the Redeemer monument underwent restoration work in 1980 before the visit of Pope John Paul
II.

In 1990, further restoration work was conducted through an agreement between the Archdiocese
of Rio de Janeiro, media company Rede Globo, oil company Shell do Brasil, environment
regulator IBAMA, National Heritage Secretariat SPHAN and the city government of Rio de
Janeiro.

More work on the statue and its environs was conducted in 2003 and early 2010. In 2003, a set of
escalators, walkways and elevators was installed to facilitate access to the platform surrounding
the statue.

The four-month restoration in 2010,[17] carried out by mining company Vale in partnership with
the Archdiocese,[citation needed] focused on the statue itself. The statue's internal structure was
renovated and its soapstone mosaic covering was restored by removing a crust of fungi and other
microorganisms and repairing small cracks. The lightning rods located in the statue’s head and
arms were also repaired. New lighting fixtures would be installed at the root of the statue to
produce an all new dynamic lighting effect on the statue.[18]

The restoration involved one hundred people and used in excess of 60,000 pieces of stone, taken
from the same quarry as the original statue.[17] During the unveiling of the restored statue, it was
illuminated with green and yellow lighting in support of the Brazil national football team playing
in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[17]

Maintenance work needs to be conducted periodically due to the strong winds and rain to which
the statue is exposed.[19]
Portrayal in fiction
Christ the Redeemer is featured in various works of fiction and media. The statue was featured in
a major destruction scene in the movie 2012, when its arms collapse, and the rest of the statue
fails at the knees and crumbles as it collides with the side of the mountain. this scene was highly
controversial, especially when it was featured in a billboard campaign in Los Angeles, when
Brazilian Multimedia Designer Sara Vieira spoke out against it. It is featured in the
videogames Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X, Driver 2, Tropico 3, Terranigma, Call of Duty: Modern
Warfare 2, OSS 117: Lost in Rio,Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword and Civilization V. It briefly
appears in the bonus level of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 on Playstation. It can be seen in the
video for Janet Jackson's, "Runaway" and in the video for the Latin group Wisin & Yandel's
"Pam Pam" video. The statue is also found in an episode of the Lupin the Third anime series. It
is also seen in the Twilight series, as Edward is on the phone with Jacob in a pivotal scene of
New Moon. It is also shown on the MTV show Viva La Bam in which Bam Margera battled Don
Vito to win a $1000. It is also in Mr. Magoo. A parody of the statue is also seen in World of
Warcraft on an island called Janerio's Point, the statue was damaged in the Cataclysm revealing a
heart filled with riches.
At the beginning of the 16th century, the first name given to the mountain on which the statue is later built is "the Pinnacle of
Temptation," in reference to the Biblical mountain on which the Devil tempted Jesus. Later, in the 17th century, the mountain
comes to be known as Corcovado, derived from its hunchback ("corcundo" in Portuguese) shape. The name may also be
interpreted religiously, based on the Latin "cor quo vado," meaning "heart, where am I going?"

Corcovado
The first proposal to build a monument on Corcovado arises from Vincentian father Pedro Maria Boss' fascination for the
peak. Father Boss, who runs the Church of the School of the Immaculate Conception, suggests to Princess Isabel his idea
to build a religious monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
1859

Corcovado's Belvedere
Dom Pedro II authorizes the building of a railroad to the top of the mountain. The railroad starts operating in 1884 from
Cosme Velho to Paineiras. The total track length is 3,800 meters.
1882

Railroad Corcovado - Rio de Janeiro - 1884

On 1 July, an iron pavilion built on the mountain peak called the "Sun Hat" opens to visitors.
1885
 Sun Hat
Dom Sebastião Leme is appointed the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro. The idea of building a monument to Christ the
Redeemer arises to mark the centenary of Brazil's independence, which will take place the following year. The Catholic
Circle organization holds a meeting to discuss the design and location for the monument. The mountains of Corcovado,
Sugar Loaf and Santo Antônio are considered as sites. Corcovado, the tallest of the mountains, is selected. The chosen
design is by architect-engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, depicting Jesus Christ holding a cross in his right hand and the world
in his left hand.
1921

Dom Sebastião Leme, the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro

Heitor da Silva Costa - engineer responsible for the project

A petition signed by more than 20,000 people urges President Epitácio Pessoa to grant permission to build the statue. The
monument's foundation stone on Corcovado Mountain is laid on 4 April 1922.
1922

Outline of Corcovado Christ Redeemer made by Carlos Oswald - 1922

Heitor da Silva Costa's design for a statue of Christ holding the world in his hands is not accepted by the people. It is thought
that the statue ought to be identifiable as a religious monument at any distance, so the original design is modified, giving it a
cross shape. In September, "Monument Week" is held, a national campaign to raise funds for the project.
1923

Structural Design of Christ the Redeemer monument

Heitor da Silva Costa goes to Europe to choose a sculptor to develop the final model for his design, which was created in
partnership with painter Carlos Oswald. At this point, the design already depicts a 30-meter-tall Christ with open arms. In
Paris, Heitor selects sculptor Paul Landowski to create the head and hands. The structural calculations for the statue are
made by another Frenchman, Albert Caquot.
1924

Paul Landowski - French sculptor

Work begins on building the monument. Heito Levy is the engineer in charge, while Pedro Fernandes Vianna da Silva is the
supervising engineer. The work takes five years. Between 1926 and 1931, groups of women from Rio's Catholic Circle
assemble soapstone mosaics to form the external covering of the statue. As they work, they write the names of loved ones
on the stones and the strips of paper and cloth upon which the stones are stuck before being fixed to the monument.
1926

Heitor Levy - master engineer-builder

 Collage of soapstone by Catholic women in society

Assembly of the head of the monument to Christ - 1930

The statue of Christ the Redeemer is inaugurated on 12 October 1931. The inauguration is attended by Cardinal Dom
Sebastião Leme, Getulio Vargas and all of his ministers, as well as other civilian and military officials. At the initiative of
journalist Assis Chateaubriand, Italian scientist Guglielmo Marconi is invited to switch on the monument's illumination from
his apartment in Rome. The electric signal would be detected by a receiving station in Dorchester, England, and
retransmitted to an antenna in Jacarepaguá, Rio de Janeiro, from where it would turn on the lights around the statue.
However, bad weather hinders the transmission and the monument's lighting is switched on directly in Rio de Janeiro, by
Gustavo Corção.
1931

Officials at the opening party of the monument

At the initiative of newspaper O Globo, a permanent lighting system replaces the monument's temporary illumination.
1932

The federal government transfers its ownership of the 477m2 area on top of Corcovado Mountain to the Archdiocesan Order
of Christ the Redeemer monument.
1934
Through a decree issued by the Cardinal Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, the Archdiocesan Order of Christ the Redeemer is
dissolved and its responsibilities taken on by the Mitra Arquiepiscopal do Rio de Janeiro (the "Archbishop's Miter"
organization of Rio de Janeiro).
1960
The monument undergoes thorough restoration work before the visit of Pope John Paul II, which takes place on 2 July 1980.
1980

Cleaning the monument to Christ the Redeemer - 1980

Cleaning the monument to Christ the Redeemer - 1980

An agreement to restore the monument is signed by the Mitra Arquiepiscopal do Rio de Janeiro, media company Rede
Globo, oil company Shell, environment regulator IBAMA, the National Heritage Secretariat SPHAN and the municipal
government of Rio de Janeiro. The statue of Christ the Redeemer is declared a protected monument by the municipal
government of Rio de Janeiro.
1990
The "Christ the Redeemer Project" carries out improvements such as the installation of cathodic protection against
corrosion, enhanced lighting and new visitor signs. In 2003, elevators, metal walkways and escalators are installed. The
project is a partnership between the Roberto Marinho Foundation, the Mitra Arquiepiscopal do Rio de Janeiro, Banco
Real/Amro Bank, IBAMA and the municipal government of Rio. Steel company Gerdau also joins the project, contributing to
works to expand the train platform, improve infrastructure and install elevators, metal walkways and escalators.
2000 - 2003

On 12 October, a decree is issued by Cardinal Archbishop Dom Eusébio Oscar Scheid to create the Sanctuary of Christ the
Redeemer of Corcovado.
2006
On 8 April, the restoration of the Chapel of Our Lady Aparecida, located inside the statue ’s base, is completed.
2007
Work on restoring the platform around the statue is completed. The monument is declared a protected moment by the
National Heritage Institute, IPHAN.
2009
On 26 January, Vale signs an agreement with the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro to sponsor the restoration of the Christ the
Redeemer monument. It is the most thorough restoration work carried out on the statue. Around 50 professionals are
working from scaffolding made of 70 tons of iron, with an additional 30 researchers, engineers, architects and executives
dedicated to making the world's largest Art Deco monument even more beautiful.
2010