Various demonstrations against the construction of the Christ the Redeemer statue were held in Rio de Janeiro. Protestant Churches and other religious groups, claimed the monument was a symbol of Catholicism. Their view was that the government should not support the project since there was no official religion in Brazil, thanks to the Constitution of 1891. In fact, any other religion could have dedicated a monument on Corcovado summit if they had made such a request. The permission to build…read more
At that time, Santo Antônio Hill (in Rio de Janeiro downtown) and Sugar Loaf were also considered as possible locations. In the end, Corcovado Mountain was chosen because it was the highest pedestal in Rio de Janeiro and was thus deemed the perfect place for the statue of Christ. Note that Corcovado at 710 metres (2,328 feet) is not the highest peak in Rio; the highest one is Pico da Pedra Branca (white stone peak) at 1,024 metres (3,358 feet)…read more
The person who originally had the idea of building the Christ statue was the French-born Lazarist priest Pierre-Marie Bos. He lived in Rio de Janeiro most of his life and the idea of building such a statue on top of Corcovado was permanently in his mind. He talked about it for decades without success. He eventually died in 1916, never seeing his dream come true. Ten years later in 1926, the Christ statue construction began. Why was the Christ statue…read more
Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer statue) atop Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro was built in October of 1931, after 5 years of intensive labor. The construction of such a giant statue was a daring project for the 1920s, and some people, including Brazilians, dared that it would be finished. For example, one of the difficulties in building the statue faster was that when strong winds hit the structure, workers had to stop for safety reasons (although safety was way behind…read more
The cog-wheel railway construction to Corcovado Mountain started in Rio de Janeiro in 1883 and while slavery in Brazil would be abolished a few years later (in 1888), the builders had already agreed not to use slaves during the construction project unless those slaves were properly compensated for their labor. The railway was completed and inaugurated in 1884 by the second Emperor of Brazil, Pedro II, and for decades thereafter tourists and locals alike went up to the top of…read more
Corcovado is the name of the mountaintop on which the Christ the Redeemer statue was built at 710 metres (2,328 feet) above sea level in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The name Corcovado comes from Corcova, which means hunchback (due to the shape of the mountain). Learn all the important and worth reading historic facts in Christ the Redeemer statue. (Get below a preview of the most practical travel guide e-book on Christ statue). Get a FREE Preview by Email [gravityform…read more
In Rio de Janeiro, it is rather easy and fast to get from Corcovado Mountain to Sugar Loaf Hill on a budget. From the Corcovado Train Station at Cosme Velho District, take bus # 584 (direction “Leblon”) at the station side and get off 15-20 minutes later on Praia de Botafogo, after Rua Marquês de Abrantes. Right there take bus # 107 (direction “Urca”) and get off approximately 8 minutes later on Avenida Pasteur. Alternatively, take a reasonably safe walk…read more
If you visit the Christ the Redeemer statue by yourself, you can stay as long as you want at the Christ statue sanctuary atop Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro. On the other hand, a guided tour plans the tour in a way to make your visit as smooth as possible. You can also learn from a tour guide about the culture and history as well as get tips for the rest of your stay. If you don’t want to…read more
Should you take an organized tour to visit Christ the Redeemer statue on Corcovado Mountain? Should you hire a Brazilian private tour guide? Or, should you find out how to get to the statue by yourself? It is not necessary to go visit the Jesus monument on a guided tour or hire a tour guide, but on peak days, and especially extreme peak days, a licensed tour guide or a tour operator can make things (much) easier. For example, a…read more
There are no tour guides on Corcovado Mountain to tell the story of the Christ the Redeemer statue, except the private tour guides previously hired to take tourists there. However, you can learn right now all the relevant historic facts and curiosities about Christ statue such as: – why, when and how was the monument built – who paid for the construction of the statue – how much did it cost to build – how long did it take to…read more
