Because of its popularity, the statue was also listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Behind the popularity, however, what facts do people usually overlook? The first proposition of creating the statue happened in mid th century where it was initially meant to honor Princess Isabel, the daughter of Emperor Pedro II.
However, the proposition did not come into fruition due to the lack of support. In , when Brazil finally became a republic, the ensuing separation of the Church and State made the Catholics feel as if the nation was heading towards godlessness. Plans for the building of the statue were then revived in , since the followers felt that they needed something to counteract the said issue. From this, Heitor da Silva Costa was recruited to design the statue, while Paul Landowski was tasked to create the sculpture where the massive statue will be based on.
Da Silva Costa initially designed the statue as Christ carrying a large cross in one hand while he held a globe in the other. From this, he came up with the design that we all see today—an Art Deco Christ spreading his arms in welcome. The first suggestion to build a large religious monument was made in the s 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 when Brazil mandated the separation of church and state.
A petition started by a group in the early s, called the Catholic Circle of Rio, was successful. Construction began in and took nine years to complete. The money to build Christ the Redeemer came from Brazil's Catholic community. 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. The chosen statue is meant to show that Christ loves all and will embrace all that come to him. The stones that were used to build Christ the Redeemer came from Sweden.
The statue was completed in No other monument, be it natural or created by man, is so identifiable in Brazil. Apart from the sugar loaf - also in Rio - its competitors could be the administrative buildings of Brasilia, the government capital, in particular this famous duo of reverse cups that share the city in two.
But here too the statue of Corcovado is the most representative of Brazil. Moreover, this representativeness is so strong that it can be applied to all of South America. This list is not official, of course, and it is quite open to criticism, but it nevertheless represents the general opinion quite well. Remains a symbol not to be neglected. This is the very reason for the construction of this statue, namely that it symbolizes the centenary of the independence of Brazil.
If this commemoration is greatly forgotten today as is the case with the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty , which are exactly the same situation on this subject , the fact remains that it is exact, and as such Christ the Redeemer is the symbol of the Federal Republic of Brazil as a whole. As it was built years after independence, it also symbolizes the solidity of the Republic, which has managed to stabilize over time.
It is not necessary to be a soothsayer to understand that the statue is also a religious symbol To be exact, it was promoted by the Catholic Church, a religion largely majority in Brazil. Christ is represented with wide open arms, he is in the reception of the population, the visitor.
Symbolically this position marks openness to others, one of the most prominent Christian values. It also marks the love of Christ towards men in the human sense of course. Having such a Catholic statue in Rio is not surprising.
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