One of the questions about traveling to Brazil that I hear the most from my friends in the United States that never went to Brazil is “where is the Jesus statue that is always in the movies in Brazil?”. Some of them know that is located in Rio, but not exactly where.
The Jesus statue in Brazil is in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The monument is called “Christ The Redeemer” and it’s on the top of Corcovado Hill. The monument is 709 meters above sea level and offers breathtaking views of most of the city of Rio de Janeiro for its visitors.
This is one of the most incredible destinations in Brazil and was considered one of the 7 Seven Wonders of the Modern World List in 2007. The monument can be visited by tourists from all faiths that come worldwide who are always surprised by the shocking beauty of the statue and the views of the incredible city of Rio de Janeiro.
Christ The Redeemer: The Symbol Of Brazil
Christ The Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) is a worldwide famous Jesus statue and one of Brazil’s biggest symbols. More than an incredible postcard of the city of Rio de Janeiro, the monument is the most famous Art Deco sculpture in the world. The ideas for the construction surged for the first time in 1921 and the actual project was developed by the engineer Heitor da Silva Costa years later.
Finally, after the construction that took through 5 years of hard work (1926-1931), the monument was open to the public for the first time on October 12, 1931. The statue has 38 meters (counting the 8-meter pedestal), 1,145 tons, and is located on Parque Nacional da Tijuca, on the top of Corcovado Hill, 709 meters above sea level, from where you can enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the city.
Great Infrastructure for Tourists
The infrastructure surrounding the area is good and ready to receive millions of tourists every year. 220 steps lead to the feet of the statue, which was elected one of the Seven Wonders of The World in a poll organized in 2007 by the Swiss institution New 7 Wonders Foundation. The monument is accessible via train, van, or car.
To reach the top of Corcovado Hill there is a pleasant train ride that of about twenty minutes, that crosses a beautiful and well-preserved area of Atlantic Forest until the train reaches the top of Corcovado. And there’s more: To facilitate the access for visitors, three panoramic elevators and four escalators were built. The views from there are INSANE, which makes this tour a must for anyone visiting the city.
How To Get To Christ The Redeemer
A visit to Christ the Redeemer is the highlight of any trip to Rio de Janeiro. By train or van, alone or accompanied, visiting it is one of those tours that delights every tourist, with beautiful memories to last a lifetime. After being temporarily closed due to the pandemic, Cristo Redentor reopened, following sanitary and safety protocols. Open daily from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, Christ the Redeemer can be visited basically in two ways: by van (departing from four different points in Rio) or by train from Corcovado (Cosme Velho Station).
Tickets provide direct round trip transfers, as well as admission to the attraction. Going by van is usually the most practical option, just go to one of the four stations from which the vehicles depart (Copacabana, Largo do Machado, Barra da Tijuca or Paineiras) and purchase a ticket, usually it can take some minutes to wait. During high season, the queue at some stations can be quite long, so it’s also worth buying tickets for the Christ the Redeemer van in advance.
Train travel is more traditional and popular, so it’s important to plan your ride in advance. Tickets for the Corcovado Train must be purchased online or through authorized points of sale. Advance purchases do not issue a ticket, but a voucher that must be exchanged at the ticket office where the train leaves, at Cosme Velho Station. The trip takes around twenty minutes along a railway even older than the statue itself, entering the Tijuca National Park. It’s awesome!
Christ The Redeemer (Updated Prices)
Check the ticket prices for Christ the Redeemer in 2021:
- High Season: R$ 88.00 Low season: R$ 71.00
- Children up to 4 years old: (free)
- Child (5 to 11 years): R$54
- Elderly (over 60 years old, residing in Brazil): R$ 27.00
Children up to 4 years old do not pay, as long as they are on their guardian’s lap.
*All Saturdays and Sundays and holidays are considered high season.
What Is The Jesus Statue In Brazil Called?
If you ever watched a movie situated in Brazil, there’s a huge chance that the country’s first image was a gigantic Jesus statue on the top of a hill. And that’s not by case. This monument is probably the most famous and admired postcard of Brazil. But do you know how it’s called?
The Jesus statue in Brazil is called Christ The Redeemer (Cristo Redentor, in Portuguese). It’s the biggest and most famous Art Deco sculpture in the world, with 38 meters tall (counting the 8-meter pedestal) and 1,145 tons. It’s the most famous postcard of Brazil and the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Visiting the statue is a must for anyone traveling to Rio de Janeiro. More than an amazing monument, the views from the top of Corcovado are overwhelming. It’s a paradisiac scenario. I’m not a Catholic, but for those that are, there is a publicly accessible chapel inside the statue.
Why Does Rio Has A Statue Of Jesus?
The statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro is probably the famous and iconic postcard of Brazil. A 38-meter tall sculpture on the top of a beautiful hill, 709 meters above sea level. It’s hard for something like this to be a bad idea, but have you ever wondered why does Rio have a statue of Jesus?
The Jesus statue in Rio de Janeiro was built as a celebration of 100 years of Brazilian independence with influence from the Catholic church. The Christ the Redeemer was first conceived by the French priest Pedro Boss, who defined Corcovado Hill as a unique pedestal in the world to honor Christ.
At first technicians and engineers considered the idea of constructing a statue on the top of the hill unviable, but after pressure from catholic associations, they started the construction in 1926, with the project of the architect Heitor da Silva Costa.
How Did They Build The Jesus Statue In Brazil?
Brazil is known worldwide for a lot of good things about our culture: great people, amazing coffee, the best soccer players, paradisiac beaches, and a lot more. But even with an enormous variety of great things, the most iconic postcard of Brazil is the famous Jesus statue located on the top of Corcovado Hill in Rio de Janeiro: Christ The Redeemer. But how it was built?
The Jesus statue in Brazil was built with pieces brought from France. The head alone is made of 50 pieces and each hand has 3.2 meters in length. Gigantic scaffolds allowed the workers access to the highest points and the statue was assembled from top to bottom. All this work took more than 5 years.
The statue came from France to Brazil in pieces. To take these giant objects to the top of Corcovado, the train that connected the hill to the lower part of Rio de Janeiro was used, a railroad in existence since the end of the 19th century. The piece of the Christ was hollow and was gradually fitted into the metal structure assembled to support the weight of the statue.
How Tall Is The Statue Of Jesus In Rio de Janeiro?
The statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro, known as Christ The Redeemer (or even Cristo Redentor, in Portuguese), is the world’s biggest and most famous Art Deco sculpture. A lot of people wonder how tall is the statue, so let me tell you.
The statue of Jesus in Rio de Janeiro is 38 meters tall. The monument itself has 30 meters, but there is an 8-meter pedestal that supports the sculpture. But there’s more: the statue is on the top of Corcovado Hill, 709 meters above sea level, providing visitors the best views of Rio de Janeiro.
Christ the Redeemer is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone. It is thirty meters high, not counting the eight meters of the pedestal, and its arms stretch out 28 meters in width. The statue weighs 1145 tons and is the fourth-largest sculpture of Christ in the world, smaller only than the Statue of Christ the King of Świebodzi in Poland, Cristo de Encantado, in Brazil, and Cristo de la Concordia in Bolivia.
Who Built The Jesus Statue In Brazil?
The Brazilian Jesus statue called Christ The Redeemer is worldwide famous and probably the most iconic postcard of Brazil. Even so, very few people know the names of the important workers that built the statue.
The Jesus statue in Brazil was built by more than a thousand workers. The engineer responsible for the project was Heitor da Silva Costa and the project designer was Carlos Oswald. Finally, the French sculptor Paul Landowski was responsible for modeling the pieces that make up the statue.
Heitor Levy, the engineer who commanded the construction, led a team of almost a thousand people, including engineers, architects, and construction workers. The construction site was installed at the top of Corcovado and the materials arrived at the site via a train that travels up the hill to this day. The construction work lasted five years, from 1926 to 1931, with the inauguration taking place on October 12th. During this period, no work accident was recorded.
Can You Climb The Jesus Statue In Brazil?
Visiting the feet of the Christ The Redeemer monument is an amazing experience, 709 meters above sea level. But some people want more. As it’s possible to climb to the head of some famous statues around the world, such as the Statue of Liberty, some people want to know if it’s possible to climb to the top of the Jesus statue in Brazil.
It’s possible to climb the mountain where the statue is located, but the statue itself it’s not allowed. There’s inside access to the head and arms of the Jesus statue, but as the monument is a Catholic shrine, authorization from the Church and the tourism board is required for this special tour.
There another way around is committing a crime. I do not recommend that, but if you decide to go up without the proper authorization and put your life at risk, I have to ask you to at least record an incredible video like these guys.
Where Is The New Statue of Jesus in Brazil?
Brazil is worldwide known for its beautiful places and one of the most famous of them is the Jesus statue in Rio de Janeiro, Christ The Redeemer (Cristo Redentor). But a city in the South of Brazil is on a mission to create a new and bigger Jesus statue.
The new statue of Jesus in Brazil is located in Encantado, a city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, the South region of the country. Named as Protector Christ, the statue is 43 meters high, the equivalent of a 14-story building. It’s five meters taller than the original statue in Rio de Janeiro.
Encantado is a small town 144 kilometers from Porto Alegre, with 22 thousand inhabitants, and is now internationally famous for a statue similar to Christ the Redeemer, a famous postcard of Rio of Janeiro. The structure of the Jesus statue of Encantado is similar to that of a 14-story building. An elevator will ascend to a lookout at the height of the statue’s heart.
Related Articles
Is Rio Safe At Night? https://whataboutbrazil.com/is-rio-safe-at-night/
Where Are The Iguazu Falls In Brazil? https://whataboutbrazil.com/where-are-the-iguazu-falls-in-brazil/
