From its purpose, to its creatures, to its impressive stats, join us as we explore the
Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio De Janeiro!
10.
Its Meaning Is...Up For Debate Let's think about statues and monuments in
the grander sense for a bit, ok?
Every single time one of them is made, they're made for a purpose, correct?
For example, the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC is meant to be a symbol of President Abraham
Lincoln and the freedom he brought to so many people during his run as President.
That's a very clear meaning, and rightfully so I might add.
But, for the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio De Janeiro...the meaning is technically
a bit up for debate.
Because how a lot of people see it is very different from how other people see it.
Now sure, you might just look at it and go, "It's meant to be a representation of Jesus
Christ of the Christian faith".
And that's true to an extent, but what is built is not always the meaning.
For some people, they look at the statue and see Christ's position and feel that it's a
depiction of sorts of him on the cross on which he died.
Signaling that this is a statue that honors the death of Christ which gave all people
life after death via resurrection into heaven.
Making it a very holy meaning to the statue.
But to others, they look at Christ's arms not as a position on the legendary cross,
but as a symbol of "open arms".
Jesus said to "love God and love people", to "love thy neighbor as thyself", and to
give to those in need.
So to many people in Rio De Janeiro, they see it as a sign that they need to be good
to those next to them, and those who come into their country:
“That statue is really important for us in Rio and for the people in Brazil.
It has a lot of things behind it — not just the religious symbol but this welcoming symbol
of open arms.
It’s also supposed to mean we are good hosts,” one local Brazilian said.
To be clear, there is no "right or wrong" answer to the meaning of the statue.
Rather, this is just how ambiguous the statue is in terms of its construction and position.
Which is fine, art is meant to be open to interpretation, and statues are definitely
art.
9.
It Was Built To Fight "Godlessness" Ok, so we've delved a lot into what the statue
might actually mean in terms of its position and such.
But let's ask a more basic question, why was it built at all?
You might think this an odd question given that the statue is Christ the Redeemer and
likely was built to show off the Brazilian faith, right?
Well that might have been a reason for other countries, but for Brazil in 1920, it was
a little more complicated than that.
You see, this all really started back in 1889, when the Brazilian Republic was officially
born.
As part of this new Republic, they separated Church from State.
Something many other countries have done over the years.
But to those who practiced the Catholic faith (which was the dominant religion in Brazil),
they feared that this separation would cause many to deter from the path of faith and the
path of God.
Their fears grow over the years, especially when World War I happened.
At that point in time they saw an "increase in Godlessness", and thus decided that they
needed a statue to remind them of their God and who was watching over them and on and
on.
Thus, in 1920, they hired Heitor da Silva Costa to design and make the statue that would
tower over the city and be a daily reminder of Christ.
You could argue that this was a bit petty of the Catholic Church, to build a statue
as a "daily reminder", but you need to remember that they weren't doing it for vain reasons.
They were just trying to make sure that everyone remembered that there is a better path, one
that doesn't involve dark ways, and the statue was made as a reminder of that.
And it worked to be clear, and now Christ the Redeemer is one of the most beloved statues
in all the world.
Though it almost didn't start out that way...
8.
"Christ With A Ball" Whether we realize it or not, statue makers
go through a long process of trying to make sure that their upcoming statues look the
right way, are made the right way, and convey the right message.
Heitor da Silva Costa was no different, and not unlike many other legendary statues...the
Christ The Redeemer statue once had a very different design plan.
What was it going to look like?
Well, most of it was the same.
It was a standing Christ, he was looking out over the city, and even facing the sun, the
biggest changes though were in the arms.
Specifically, what he had IN his arms.
Right now, his arms were empty, but in the original designs he had something in each
hand.
One hand would have him with a cross, and the other would have a globe in it.
The cross obviously representing how Christ had to carry the cross to his execution by
hanging on it.
And the globe is much like the children's song in how "he has the whole world in his
hands".
Thus giving a very clear meaning to the statue.
Initially, the men in charge of the project were very content with this design.
However, as they started to share it around, it got a nickname, "Christ With A Ball".
Because from afar, that's what it would look like as the marks of the various things on
the globe wouldn't appear on it from a distance.
Which is what most people in Rio would see the statue at.
So, Heitor da Silva Costa consulted another Brazilian artist, and the "arms open wide"
Christ The Redeemer Statue was rendered, and then made.
7.
It Has Been Damaged By Lightning I want you think about the Christ The Redeemer
for a sec, think about how high up in the air it is in regards to Rio De Janeiro.
If you don't know, it's nearly a half-mile up via a mountain that is within the city.
That elevation was again done to ensure that the people could see the Christ The Redeemer
statue just about everywhere they went.
But, as you hopefully know, the higher up into the air you go, the more problems nature
has to throw at you.
In this case, the problem is lightning.
While Christ The Redeemer isn't made of metal, it still basically is a lightning rod because
it sticks out like a sore thumb and it can attract lightning in its own way.
Which is why it shouldn't be too surprising that in its basically 100 year lifespan that
it has been struck by lightning multiple times.
One of the worst times by far though was in 2008.
A massive electrical storm hit Rio De Janeiro, and the lightning not only hit the statue,
it damaged its face and hands.
Thankfully, the people were able to restore the statue to its former glory, even using
the exact same material from the exact same quarry where the original building materials
were taken from.
More than likely though, this kind of event will continue to happen given its height and
Brazil's weather patterns.
6.
It Took Nearly A Decade To Make Construction projects in the modern age is
nothing compared to the projects that have been done over time.
Even in the 1920's with all the advances they had made they were still doing a lot of things
by hand.
Major construction vehicles hadn't been truly built yet, and even if they had, not everyone
in the world had them.
So to make the Christ The Redeemer statue in Rio De Janeiro, it took a lot of time and
effort.
Because recall, it was built on top of a mountain.
But the real problem for the making of the Christ The Redeemer wasn't resources, it was
distance and time.
Heitor da Silva Costa may have been the designer of the statue, but he had to go to France
to find a sculptor to make it real.
He would find Paul Landowski, and over the course of 9 years Landowski would take the
design, make his own version of the parts that would help make the statue (including
some improvements and design), and then he shipped them to Brazil.
Done?
Not quite.
He made the pieces out of the materials he had in France.
Once they were in Brazil, they were remade into pieces of reinforced concrete so that
it would withstand the weather and other issues.
So yeah, by the time the statue was all done, it had been nearly a decade since it had truly
begun.
5.
It May Start Looking Different In 2020 As we just noted, much of the statue is made
with reinforced concrete.
It's strong reliable, and as we also noted, can be easy to fix.
However, what you "see" in regards to the statue isn't concrete, it's actually a material
known as soapstone.
Why is it coated in that?
Well, not unlike things like the Statue of Liberty (which is actually made of copper
but has a petina that makes it green), they wanted the statue to feel "lighter" and more
visible, and more visually pleasing.
So, the soapstone was used.
Here's the problem, while they've been maintaining the Christ The Redeemer for almost 100 years,
and using the soapstone as a result of that, the soapstone from the quarry they've been
using has officially run out of material.
Meaning that they can't make it the same color that they have been doing for the time of
its life so far.
That's not to say it won't be coated in another material, it's just not going to be the same
soapstone that made it the color it is now.
The next major renovation for the Christ The Redeemer statue is scheduled for 2020.
And when that happens, the statue will likely look much darker than before.
4.
Restoration Has Been Done Naturally, and For Visitors
As we've stated previously, the Christ The Redeemer statue has been worked on over the
years since its official finishing in 1931.
There has been damages to be fixed, visuals to be reapplied and so on and so forth.
But what might surprise you is that much of the restorations have been done in the last
40 years.
Because the first major restoration of the Christ The Redeemer statue happened in 1980.
What happened in 1980, you ask?
That would be the arrival of Pope John Paul II.
He was visiting Brazil, and so naturally the catholic church of the region decided to make
sure that the statue was in pristine condition for him when he arrived.
Since then, the statue has gone under many restorations, and will have one in 2020 as
noted.
But you could argue that aside from the lightning damage one, none were more important than
the one done for the Pope.
3.
Going Up?
For the longest time, the only way to get to the Christ The Redeemer statue was to walk
up the side of the mountain via 200 steps, which can be good for your exercise habits,
but not exactly fun if you're not really in shape.
But you had to do it in order to get to the statue.
However, in 2003, people eventually realized that this wasn't the best idea.
So, they actually installed an escalator that can help get you to the statue quicker and
without much work on your part.
But be warned, those escalators can break, and that means you're going to be walking
again.
2.
Graffiti Is A National Crime Sadly, the idea of spray painting or "graffiting"
a work of art is a very popular pastime for troublemakers and vandals.
And in 2010, some such vandals decided that they were going to go and mark up the Christ
The Redeemer statue while it was going under a renovation.
Here's the problem with that, it had honestly never happened before, so there wasn't an
official response.
Until they did it, and the mayor of Rio declared it a "crime against the nation", so if anyone
is dumb enough to follow their example, they can officially call themselves enemies of
the state.
1.
There's A Chapel At The Base Of The Statue Without a doubt, the Christ The Redeemer statue
is one of the most visited places in Rio De Janeiro, and for good reason, but some people
have wanted to see it grow in its "abilities" if you will outside of it being a tourist
attraction.
And that's why in 2006, which was its official 75th birthday/anniversary, they decided to
make a small chapel at the base of the statue.
One where you could truly get married there and have a small reception as well.
You might think, "Why would people want to do that?"
Well you have to remember that this isn't just a statue, it's a monument to Christ,
and many people do weddings in churches and places like that to "receive the blessing"
of God.
And what better way to "receive" that blessing than in a place under a giant statue of Christ?
Now, there are some drawbacks to this place.
Because of location, the chapel is very small, and so you can't have a massive wedding there.
Plus, since you have to walk up to the statue, that means you're walking up to it in your
wedding gown and suit.
So if you think your potential wife or husband would love doing their wedding there...make
sure they're ready for a hike.
Granted, there is an escalator, but it's not the same.
Thanks for watching everyone!
What did you think of these facts and history of the Christ The Redeemer statue that stands
on top of Rio De Janeiro?
Did you learn a lot of new things that you didn't know about it before?
Are you surprised that it has this deep of a history?
Let me know in the comments below, be sure to subscribe, and I'll see you next time on
the channel!