In 1923, the “Monument Week” was promoted. People from all over Rio de Janeiro and Brazil started contributing financially to the construction of the Christ statue. Catholic Church volunteers were sent out to collect the donations literally everywhere — stores, theatres, cinemas, churches and schools in rich and poor neighborhoods. Even schoolchildren were recruited to raise funds. They were issued with cards to record donations and visited family and friends chanting the motto: ‘For Christ, the Redeemer’.
In Rio de Janeiro, groups of four people used to walk around holding a large bed sheet by its corners. As it passed by, people threw donations! Additionally, fundraising parties were organized. Scouts such as João Havelanche (former FIFA President) used to go door-to-door and person-to-person, collecting money to make the Christ statue a reality.
Most people gladly contributed and even children gave their pocket money. At the end of the campaign, the equivalent of US$400,000 had been raised to build Christ the Redeemer.
In 1929, a new campaign was launched to raise more funds to continue the Christ statue construction. This time, more than US$80,000 was raised. Later, a third and last campaign was promoted in order to complete the project.
How much did Christ the Redeemer statue cost to build?
At today’s value, the statue would have cost over R$6,000,000 (approximately US$3.5/€2.4 million). Effectively, the Christ statue cost much less than the Statue of Liberty.
To whom does the Christ statue belong?
The Christ statue belongs to the Diocese of Rio de Janeiro and we are eternally grateful to Cardeal Dom Sebastião Leme, the soul of the project, for his enthusiasm and commitment. Leme was the one who suggested that the statue should be designed so that it would be recognized from a considerable distance as a catholic monument. At that’s precisely what the Christ statue looks like at a distance – a cross.
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