Overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro, Christ The Redeemer statue in Brazil is one of the best known statues in the world, not only for its size and its dramatic location atop the 2000-foot high peak of the Corcovado mountain, but for its representation of the significance of the major faith of this country.
In Portuguese called O Cristo Redentor, the statue weighs over 635 tons (700 short tons) and was created in large modular sections of reinforced concrete covered with a mosaic of soapstone because of soapstone’s ease of formation and its strong resistance to weathering. Work on the image began back in the 1920’s (although there is disagreement as to the exact year). The statue was commemorated with a grand celebration in October of 1931. The pieces that were to be assembled into the finished product were ceremoniously hauled to the summit of the mountain by the only means available at the time, the Corcovado Railway.
Brazil's Christian Faith
Standing approximately 130 feet tall on a thirty-foot pedestal, this imposing statue of the Redeemer Jesus with arms outstretched to the world, has been a symbol of the Christian faith of Brazil for nearly 80 years. The citizens of Rio de Janeiro, primarily the Catholic Christians, were said to have donated the $250,000 to erect the giant statue, and periodically thereafter, the government of Rio has paid for at least three major renovations to it to repair and restore the statue of the Savior from wear and tear, slight damage to the finish and the embedded lightning rods from a lightning strike in 2008, and one case of vandalism.
Towering over the city, Cariocas and touristas alike can see the image, visible by night or day from nearly anywhere in the city. From the very site of the statue on Corcovado’s summit, sightseers have a breathtaking view of the Sugar Loaf, Copacabana, and Ipanema beaches.
Costs of Visiting the Redeemer Statue
Older residents of Rio remember when access to the Redeemer statue was a mere R$5.00 and most of its visitors were Christian faithful who trekked the long distance up the mountain to view the statue and pray. But as with many visions of faith, when generations pass and there is money to be made, changes take place under the guise of maintenance costs for a tourist attraction. Today the 20-minute railroad trip that takes visitors to the top of the mountain every half hour costs $R45.00 per person, and then another $R45.00 for a shuttle bus from the train to the statue and admission to the statue to take pictures.
Religions in Brazil
Although older information available claims that 74% of the country of Brazil declares an affiliation with Catholicism, just traveling through the country belies that information due to the huge numbers of Protestant churches to be seen everywhere, from the large 7th Day Adventist population and their schools, to Evangelical Christian and Pentecostal denominations such as the Assemblies de Deus.
Throughout the backstreets of Rio, automobile drivers are familiar with seeing chickens tied by the sides of the road or arrangements of flower and vegetables piled up, often with lit candles, as offerings to the voodoo god Macumbah. Some take it seriously, some laugh at the displays. But major Christian TV stations such as CBN News have reported on large Pentecostal revivals firing up throughout the country of Brazil, from the capital city of Brasilia to Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais, with active news coverage as recently as 2007 and continuing to the present. Now 40% of the country’s population claim to be Pentacostal or Charismatic, with an evident major impact in turning back the long-time influence of voodoo there.
Reference Video: mms://sm1.cbn.org/News/Archive/HighRes/PST28_H_000000000444p 4.wmv
Marie Thomas - Marie Thomas (RieT) is an author in multiple genres, with 18 years in technical writing, and freelance work in science, biographical, and ...
