Christ the Redeemer

From where the minibus dropped us, there were 200 steps to the base of the statue itself.  Alternatively, you could get there by taking a lift and a couple of escalators.  This was the way we chose!

Although you can see Christ the Redeemer from many places in Rio, you get no sense of how big it is.  In fact, it looks disappointingly small from ground level!  Even as you ascend the 700-metre high Corcovado mountain that it stands on top of, you don't realise its immense size because it is largely hidden from view by the forest.  The first moment you see the statue in all its glory is when you emerge from the lift.  Despite the view from the back, it is a real wow moment!

Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus, created by French-Polish sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, in collaboration with French engineer Albert Caquot.  Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida sculpted the face.  It was built between 1922 and 1931.  The statue is 30 metres high, excluding its 8-metre pedestal. The arms stretch 28 metres wide.  It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone and weighs 635 metric tons.  This statue is the largest Art Deco–style sculpture in the world.  It is a world-famous symbol of Christianity and was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

It is certainly impressive!  It was heaving with tourists, but we did manage to walk all around it and take the photos we wanted to.  Fab had given us 40 minutes there, which was just enough time to look around, have an ice cream, and return to the transport back to the visitor centre.Read more