In the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro there is a 713 meter high hill, called the Corcovado Hill. At its top is a statue of Christ with open arms known as the Christ the Redeemer.
The idea of creating a gigantic image of Christ, as a meeting point in pilgrimages and religious festivals, dates from the late 19th century. The suggestion was brought to the attention of Princess Isabel of Brazil, who gave her approval and the first official support for making such a grand proposal, however, the project began to take shape in 1921 to celebrate the centenary of independence.
The choice of the place where this famous image would be placed was in charge of the Catholic Circle of Rio de Janeiro. Monte del Corcovado had Pão de Açúcar and Monte de San Antonio as competitors, but it was chosen because it was the highest of the three.
The works necessary to erect Christ the Redeemer lasted ten years. It must be taken into account that its height reaches 30 meters and its weight is greater than 1,100 tons (the statue is on a base 8 meters high). It is made of a single material, granite. As for its architectural style, it belongs to Art-Deco.
In 1923, through a competition, the project of the engineer Heitor da Silva Costa was chosen, designed by the artist Carlos Oswald and designed by the French architect Paul Landowski. He came from Europe especially for this job.
Visitors and tourists can access the interior of the statue through a staircase. During this tour there is a stone in the shape of a heart and inside there is a list of all those who worked in the construction of Christ the Redeemer. It must be remembered that during its construction there were no victims among the workers.
In addition to Christ the Redeemer, the remaining wonders of our time are: Chichen Itza in the Yucatan Peninsula, Coliseum in Rome, Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu in Cuzco, Petra in Jordan, and the Taj Mahal in India.
