Christ the Redeemer stands with open arms over Rio de Janeiro, serving as one of the most recognized symbols of Brazil. While millions of tourists take the train up Corcovado mountain to see the view, few know the statue acts as a massive lightning rod that endures severe weather constantly. For instance, the original design looked completely different, featuring a figure holding a globe instead of open arms. Furthermore, volunteers wrote secret wishes on the stone tiles before gluing them to the surface. Prepare to look up at the Art Deco giant.
Christ the Redeemer Statue
Lightning broke the thumb of the Christ the Redeemer Statue. In 2014, a massive storm struck the monument, and a bolt of lightning chipped the tip of the right thumb. Workers had to rappel down the arm to repair the damage using the stockpile of original stone.
Volunteers wrote secret messages on the back of the tiles. Women from local parishes glued millions of soapstone triangles onto mesh sheets to create the mosaic surface. They frequently wrote names, wishes, and prayers on the back of the tiles, meaning the statue literally covers the city in hidden blessings.
A chapel exists inside the base. The pedestal contains a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil. Couples can actually get married inside this tiny sanctuary beneath the feet of the massive figure.
The original design featured a cross and a globe. Engineer Heitor da Silva Costa initially sketched a statue of Jesus holding a large cross in one hand and a globe in the other. However, locals mocked the design as “Christ with a ball,” so he changed it to the Art Deco style with open arms.
Christ the Redeemer Statue acts as a target for lightning strikes. Due to its position on a granite peak, the statue attracts lightning strikes roughly three to six times a year. The internal structure contains a system of lightning rods to ground the electricity and protect the concrete shell.
The stone comes from the same quarry as 18th-century churches. Architects chose soapstone (steatite) because it resists extreme weather and does not deform. They sourced the material from Minas Gerais, using the same quarries that supplied the artists of colonial Brazil.
Vandals sprayed graffiti on the face and arm. In 2010, house painters used the scaffolding to climb up and spray black paint on the head and right arm. The mayor called it a “crime against the nation,” and police eventually caught the perpetrators who confessed.
Christ the Redeemer Statue is not the tallest Christ statue in the world. While famous, it stands only thirty meters tall (excluding the pedestal). Christ the King in Poland and the Christ of Peace in Bolivia both exceed it in height, stealing the title of the tallest Jesus.
The French sculptor modeled the head and hands in Paris. Paul Landowski created the head and hands in full-size clay models in his French studio. He shipped them to Rio in dozens of numbered pieces, where engineers assembled them like a 3D puzzle.
The stone color is changing over time. The original quarry ran out of the pale grey soapstone used in the 1930s. Consequently, restoration teams now use a darker shade of stone for repairs, which creates a patchwork effect that will eventually darken the entire figure.
Princess Isabel rejected the first proposal in the 1850s. A priest suggested building a religious monument on Mount Corcovado to honor the Princess Regent. However, she ignored the request, and the idea lay dormant until the Catholic Circle of Rio revived it in 1920.
Workers prepared concrete from the inside. Due to the limited space on the mountain peak, construction crews could not use large exterior scaffolding. Instead, they built the reinforced concrete structure from the inside out, using the internal staircases to move materials.
Escalators arrived only in 2003. For decades, visitors had to climb 220 steep steps to reach the viewing platform after the train ride. Authorities finally installed panoramic elevators and escalators to make the monument accessible to old people and disabled tourists.
A heart shape lies inside the chest. The interior of the statue contains a stylized heart made of stone, located exactly where a human heart would be. The engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and the master builder placed a glass bottle with their family tree inside this heart.
Finally, the open arms symbolize a cross. The engineer designed the statue to look like a cross from a distance. When the sun sets, the silhouette forms a perfect crucifix against the sky, serving as a religious beacon for the city below.
