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Rio’s Christ the Redeemer statue will soon no longer be the tallest statue of Jesus in Brazil. A construction effort in the southern town of Encantado will soon complete Christ the Protector, which will exceed its Rio counterpart by 16 feet.
In Rio, Christ the Redeemer has stood sentinel over Brazil’s second-most populous city for 90 years. The 98-foot statue stands atop a 26-foot pedestal, bringing it to an imposing 124 feet tall. The new statue won’t exactly dwarf Rio’s, but it will be about a head taller.
The Christ the Protector statue will stand at 140 feet by the time it’s completed later this year. CNN reports that only Poland’s Christ the King and a 249-foot statue under construction in Mexico will be larger. The installation is expected to be a boon to the region’s tourism industry.
Christ the Protector
The construction effort, headed by sculptor Genésio Gomes Moura and his son, Markus, has already completed the head and arms. According to the Associação Amigos de Cristo (AACristo), the entity responsible for the construction, they are currently preparing the mantle for installation.
When completed the body of the Christ statue will feature an elevator that will bring visitors up to a viewing deck. The deck is said to boast a scenic view of the surrounding valley. The sight will come thanks to a glass opening located somewhere in the statue’s chest.
Travel and Leisure notes that the project is estimated to cost $2 million Brazilian real (about $350,000). In order to ease the burden, AACristo has launched a fundraising campaign. Along with raffling off a Chevy 4x4, they are offering donors the chance to have their names on personalized plates embedded in the monument. The plates are available in “bronze,” “silver,” “gold,” and “diamond” with different rates for each.
Click here to visit the AACristo website and learn more about the statue's construction effort or how to get involved. The statue is expected to be complete by the end of January, 2022.
