Christ the Redeemer: A Symbol of Peace

 

INTRODUCTION

There are many historical places and monuments which make us amaze whenever we visit them unlike from the fact whether we are visiting them for the very first time or we are visiting them again. Whenever we visit them, we have a question in our mind about what would happen in the past through which the early people constructed such magnificent construction. So our article will be there to kill every question that you have raised in your mind about the history of historical places and monuments.

            

ABOUT

• Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ at the summit of Mount Corcovado in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
• The statue stands at 98 feet height and its outstretched arms reach 92 feet horizontally.
•  It is created by French sculptor Paul Landowski & built by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa in collaboration with the French engineer Albert Caquot.
•  A symbol of Christianity across the world, the statue has also become a cultural icon of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil and is listed as one of the New Seven wonders of the world.

 

History

HISTORY

• In the mid of 1850s Pedro Maria Boss, a Vincentian priest suggested placing a Christian monument on Mount Corcovado to honor princess Isabel but the project was not approved.
• A second proposal for a landmark statue on the mountain was made by The Catholic Circle of Rio, ‘Semana do Monumento’  the event was organized to attract donations and collect signatures to support the building of the statue.
• After getting support and donation the design considered for the ‘Statue of the Christ’ included a representation of the Christian cross, a statue of Jesus with a globe in his hands. The statue of Christ the Redeemer with open arms was chosen.
• Heitor da Silva Costa, a local engineer designed the statue, and Paul Landowski, a French sculptor created the work. After studying Landowski’s submissions, engineers & technicians decided to build the structure with reinforced concrete instead of steel because it was more suitable for the cross-shaped statue.
• The concrete was supplied from Limhamn, Sweden. Soapstone was chosen for outer layers due to its enduring qualities and ease of use. Construction took nine years from 1922 to 1931 and with a cost of US$250,000. It was opened on October 12, 1931.

 

OTHER FACTS

• During the opening ceremony, the statue was to be lit by a battery of floodlights, turned on by radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi, stationed 9200km away in Rome but because of bad weather, the lights were activated on-site.
• On its 75th anniversary, Archbishop of Rio, Cardinal Eusebio Oscar Scheid, devoted a Chapel under the statue which allowed Catholics to hold weddings &  baptisms there.
• On February 10, 2008, a light struck the statue during a thunderstorm & caused damage to the fingers, head & eyebrows. Lighting damaged it again on January 17, 2014, dislodging a finger on the right hand.

Damaged Finger by Lightning Effect

• A massive restoration of the statue including cleaning, replacing the mortar & soapstone on the exterior & waterproofing the monument was begun in 2010.
• During Renovation, Vandals attacked the statue by spraying paint along the arm. Later, they apologized and presented themselves to the Police.

 

RESTORATION

Restoration of Christ Redeemer's Statue 

• In 1990, many organizations as the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro, media company Group Globo, oil company Shell do Brasil, environmental regulator IBAMA, National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage and the city government of Rio De Janeiro agreed to the restoration of the Christ The Redeemer statute.
• In 2003, a set of escalators, walkways, and elevators were installed to ease tourism.
• In the four months of 2010, restoration was focused on the statue. 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 at the head) were also repaired and new lighting fixtures were installed.
•  In the entire restoration process, one hundred people were involved and 60,000 pieces of stone were used from the same quarry as the original statue.
• During the unveiling of the restored statue, it was illuminated with green and yellow light in support of the Brazil national football team playing in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
• Maintenance work needs to be conducted periodically due to the strong winds and erosion to which the statue is exposed.