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Interesting
Christ the Redeemer Facts:
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Christ
the Redeemer is the largest art deco statue in the world. It is 98 feet tall
(not including the 26 foot pedestal), and the arms stretch to 92 feet wide.
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The
statue weighs approximately 635 tonnes.
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Christ
the Redeemer is located in the Tijuca Forest National Forest, at the top of
the Corcovado Mountain.
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The
statue is considered an icon of Rio de Janeiro and Brazil.
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Christ
the Redeemer is the 5th largest statue of Jesus.
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The
first suggestion to build a large religious monument was made in the 1850s by
a Catholic priest names Pedro Maria Boss. The request for financing wasn't
approved because Princess Isabel was not a fan of the idea. The request was
officially denied in 1889 when Brazil mandated the separation of church and
state. A petition started by a group in the early 1920s, called the Catholic
Circle of Rio, was successful. Construction began in 1922 and took nine years
to complete.
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The
money to build Christ the Redeemer came from Brazil's Catholic community.
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There
were several designs to choose from. One was a depiction of the Christian
cross. Another was a statue of Jesus holding a globe, while standing over a
pedestal that was to symbolize the world.
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The
chosen statue is meant to show that Christ loves all and will embrace all
that come to him.
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The
stones that were used to build Christ the Redeemer came from Sweden.
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The
statue was completed in 1931. It officially opened on October 12, 1931.
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The cost
in 1931 was approximately $250,000 US. Today that would roughly be the
equivalent of $3.2 million US.
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The
statue had to be constructed in pieces and carried to the mountain top to be
erected.
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The
materials used to build Christ the Redeemer were reinforced concrete and
soapstone.
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The
right arm points to south Rio de Janeiro and the left arm points to north Rio
de Janeiro.
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In 2008
a violent electrical storm resulted in a lightning strike to the statue. The
head, eyebrows and fingers were damaged. The soapstone exterior of the statue
prevented severe damage as it acted as an insulator. The Rio de Janeiro state
government began a restoration effort. They replaced some layers of soapstone
and repaired the lightning rods on the statue.
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All the
stone used in restoration efforts came from the same quarry as the original
stone.
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Christ
the Redeemer was vandalized in 2010 by a housepainter. He had sprayed the
head and right arm with graffiti. The culprit was later identified.
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In 2003
there were escalators, elevators and walkways installed. These made it
possible to access the platform that surrounds Christ the Redeemer.
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This
statue became one of the New Seven Wonders of the World on July 7th, 2007.
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