WelCom May 2021
Photo: Silvio Avila/AFP
A giant new statue of Christ being constructed in southern Brazil will rise even higher than the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue that overlooks Rio de Janeiro.
The statue, to be named Christ the Protector, will stand 43 metres tall, including its pedestal, making it one of the world’s tallest statues of Christ. It will measure 36 metres from hand to hand, and will have an interior elevator and an observation deck near the top. The Christ the Redeemer statue, in comparison, measures 38 metres high, pedestal included, and spans 28 metres hand to hand. It will mark its 90th birthday this October.
The new Christ the Protector statue has been under construction since 2019 in the city of Encantado, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Completion of the monument is scheduled for late this year.
‘It is a day for celebration, for devotion,’ said Gilson Conzatti, a local councillor and son of Adroaldo Conzatti, the politician who conceived the idea. The elder Conzatti, who was the city’s mayor, died in March from complications of Covid-19.
Other towering statues of Jesus around the world include the Jesus Buntu Burake (Patung Yesus Buntu Burake) statue (40 metres) and the Jesus Blesses (Kristus Kase Berkat) statue (50 metres), which are both in Indonesia.