Icon of Rio – Statue of Christ the Redeemer

Among the New Seven Wonders of the World is the Statue of Christ the Redeemer. The statue is on Corcovado Mountain about half a mile from the city of Rio De Janeiro. This 700 meters high mountain looks over the Beach of Ipanema from the Tijuca Forest National Park and offers a spectacular view of the same.

When to tour Brazil

Brazil experiences a tropical climate and hence is good for a vacation at anytime of the year.

How to reach

Rio De Janeiro is a popular tourist destination and is convenient to reach. If you are coming from London, you will have to fly to Miami and then get on a flight to Rio.

In the city, you can trust the buses, minibuses, cars and the metro to get around.

About the statue

The Statue was built in 1931 and was included as one of the Seven Wonders of the World in the new revised list in 2007. Others in this list are the Taj Mahal of India, The Great Wall of China, The Incan Ruins in the ancient city of Machu Picchu in Peru, the ancient Mayan City of Chichen Itza in Mexico, the Pink Ruins of Petra in Jordan and the Coliseum in Rome.

This is the largest statue of Christ in the World, with a height of about 32 meters and 700 tons of weight.  Reinforced concrete, soapstone for its exterior and about 2,50,000 dollars were used to construct the statue is a span of nine year – 1992-1931. Heitor da Silva Costa gets the credit for the design of the statue. Paul Landowski, French, sculpted the Statue.

The Statue of Christ the Redeemer got a special status on its 75th birthday on October 12, 2006. The Archbishop of Rio, Cardinal Eusebio Oscar Scheid sanctified a small Chapel – “Our Lady of the Apparition” at the foot of the Statue. Being a Roman Catholic Sanctuary since then, it has also been host to religious functions like baptisms and weddings.

Apart from rising to fame because of its size and its declaration as a Catholic Sanctuary, the durability of this statue was put to test and succeeded when a massive storm hit the City of Rio De Janeiro in February, 2008. While there was chaos in the city, the Statue remained un-tempered, courtesy the soapstone, which is an insulator.

Thousands and thousands of tourists come to see this statue every year. A visit and a look at The Statue of Christ, the Redeemer with his arms open as if calling you in his embrace, is definitely a must.