Christ the Redeemer

Perched on the summit of Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Christ the Redeemer joined the Seven Wonders of the Modern World List in 2007 and is considered a modern addition in comparison to the other treasures on the list such as Beijing’s Great Wall of China and Rome’s Colosseum.

He stands at 30 metres (or 98 feet) and his outstretched arms reach 28 metres (or 92 feet). It’s the fourth largest statue of Jesus Christ in the world (for now; the list is everchanging), but it holds the top spot for the largest Art Deco-style sculpture in the world.

The statue's outstretched arms are said to demonstrate Christ's acceptance and protection. Brazil’s catholic community raised all of the funds needed for its construction at a cost of US$250,000 (over US$3.2 million today).

who crafted these Art-Deco pieces into clay and shipped them to Brazil where they were remade with concrete. Jesus’ face was designed by Romanian artist Gheorghe Leonida.

But how did the statue get up there once complete? Because of its massive size, the statue was constructed on top of Mount Corcovado with all the materials transported up via a small cog-wheel train. Construction workers used long wooden poles to act as scaffolding – a daunting task which would test anyone’s faith.

The construction started in 1922 and was completed by 1931, and over this nine year period, there were many different designers. Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa sketched Jesus carrying a cross in one hand and a globe in the other, but he changed his mind and decided on the Art Decostyle we see today. This is the work of French-Polish sculptor Paul Landowski INSPIRED