10/21/2019
Sitting atop Corcovado Mountain in Rio de Janeiro, Christ the Redeemer is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable monuments in the world 🗺 🇧🇷
But how much do you really know about this famous statue? Here we’ve put together a few facts about Christ the Redeemer that you might not have heard before 😊
1. Due to the statue’s mountaintop position, it’s prone to lightning strikes and gets hit around three to six times a year. Prior to the FIFA World Cup in 2014, lightning struck and broke one of the statue’s thumbs.
2. Construction of the statue took 9 years. Beginning in 1922, it was finally finished in 1931 at a cost of $250,000 US.
3. The statue boasts an impressive title. In 2007 it was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World alongside top sights such as the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu and the Rose City of Petra.
4. It’s one of the largest statues of Jesus in the world. Christ the Redeemer reaches a height of 30 metres and boasts an arm span of 28 metres.
5. Each year, Christ the Redeemer is visited by nearly 2 million people. The record number of visitors to the statue in a single day was a huge 14,000 during Easter of 2011.
