Buy essay on Corcovado – Christ the Redeemer

Among the numerous statues of Christ, available in Europe, Asia and Latin America, a special place is occupied by the monument of Christ the Redeemer, which was built in 1931 in Rio de Janeiro. This is the monument, which the Brazilians almost unanimously considered a symbol of their country. No other monument in the world is not so popular and does not cause so much controversy (Christ The Redeemer. 2005).
“God created the world in six days. And on the seventh, he created Rio de Janeiro”. So Brazilians joke, referring to a truly fantastic location and the beauty of their city that was the capital of the country until 1960. The city really has everything to become a true paradise. It is surrounded by a semicircle of mountains, rising from the azure depths of the bay, and edged with white edge of the sandy beaches in the dark green palms.
The main attraction of Rio de Janeiro is the statue of Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor). It stands atop Corcovado hill at an altitude of 704 meters above sea level. The height of the statue is 30 feet, without counting the nearly eight-meter pedestal, and its weight is 1140 tons (Louis. P. 131).
The authors of the sculpture are Brazilian designer Geitor da Silva Costa and French sculptor Paul Landowski. This is one of the most famous sculptures in the world. Its construction lasted for ten years from 1922 to 1931, and the official opening took place on October 12, 1931. Statue of Christ the Redeemer is a symbol of the city, and widely spread out his hands express the warmth with which the inhabitants of Brazil welcome the guests of the country.
The idea of this facility was born in 1922 while celebration of the centenary of independence of Brazil. Well-known newspaper announced a competition for the best project of monument – the symbol of the nation. The winner, Hector Da Silva Costa, put forward the idea of the sculptural image of Christ, who stretches his hands and hugs the entire city. This gesture expresses compassion and at the same time the joyful pride. The idea of da Silva was accepted with enthusiasm by public also because it crossed the previous plan of construction on Mount Pan de Asukar a grandiose monument of Christopher Columbus. For the case the church immediately started to assist, helping to held across the country to collect donations in order to finance the project. Magazine “O Cruzeiro” announced fund-raising by subscription for the construction of the monument. As a result, the campaign had collected 2.2 million. The church tried to help in collecting money, so the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Don Sebastian Leme took a great part in creating the monument.
Before starting the work, architects, engineers, and sculptors met in Paris to discuss all the technical problems installing the statue on top of the hill, where it is open to all winds and exposed to other meteorological influences. Work on designing and creating the statues was made in Paris. Then she was taken in Rio de Janeiro and was put on the hill of Corcovado.
October 12, 1931 was its first official opening and dedication, and the lighting system was set up for that day. In 1965, Pope Paul VI repeated the consecration ceremony and a new lighting system were made for that occasion. Another big celebration was held there in the presence of Pope John Paul II on Oct. 12, 1981 while the fiftieth anniversary of the statue itself.
In the thick marble pedestal (plinth), a place for the chapel was found. Just now it is a place where prayers are performed, also weddings, baptisms and other ceremonial events are held. The chapel was built in honor of 75-year anniversary of the monument and was consecrated by Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, Cardinal EO Shade. This chapel was named in honor of the heavenly patroness of Brazil, it is Our Lady Aparecida.
There is an interesting fact, that the statue of Christ Redeemer bypassed even the storm that raged July 10, 2008, which did not hurt the monument, although wind and lightning knocked down trees and brought severe damage in several nearby neighborhoods of Rio. Such resistance of the statue is understood, because soapstone acted as an insulator, so the electrical charge from lightning was quickly extinguished at the surface of the sculpture (Insight Guides.p.20).
Statue of Christ the Redeemer is considered to be one of the modern wonders of the world. The height of the stone monument is 30 meters, without counting the eight-meter pedestal, the head of the statue weighs 35.6 tons; hands – on 9,1 tons each, an arm span is 23 meters. Built in 1885 the tram line is now almost on top of the hill: the final stop is located only forty meters below the statue. From there people need to climb the 220 stairs to the pedestal, where there is an observation place. In 2003 the escalator was built, which takes tourists to the foot of the famous statue. From there tourists can see running down the right hand beaches of Copacabana and Ipanema, and on the left they can see a huge bowl of “Maracana, the world’s largest stadium, and an international airport. From the sea side they can see a unique silhouette of the mountain, Ban-di-Asukar. Statue of Christ the Redeemer is a national treasure and the Brazilian national shrine.
Brazil in general, is visited annually by an average of 770 thousand tourists! (Tingay. P. 73).
Over the past 75 years, the statue was repaired twice – in 1980 and 1990. In 1932 and 2000 it was carried out a modernization of the night illumination.
Undoubtedly, the Statue of Christ the Redeemer is the symbol of Rio de Janeiro, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. In Rio you can see both wonder of the world at once – the Statue of Christ the Redeemer and the incendiary Carnival. Of course, for Christian pilgrims pageants are not attracted my carnival, they go there just to see the statue. It is said that at the foot of the statue reigns a special atmosphere, the air is permeated with holiness and grandeur.
The greatest influx of tourists and pilgrims happens before Easter and during the Carnival season. Now the number of travelers, who are rising to the Corcovado, reached 1 million people per year. The flow of tourists intensified after the July 7, 2007, when The Statue of Christ Redeemer was announced as one of the seven new wonders of the World. Without a doubt, the monument of Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado Mountain is one of the greatest sculptural works of art in the world.

References

Christ The Redeemer. 2005.
Insight Guides. Rio de Janeiro‎. 2000. p. 20.
Louis, Regis St. Draffen, Andrew. Brazil. 2005. p. 131.
Tingay, Paul. Rio de Janeiro‎. 2007. p. 73.