Cristo Redentor above Rio de Janeiro’s Corcovado peak

Cristo Redentor rises over Rio de Janeiro from the summit of Corcovado in Brazil, combining Art Deco engineering with sweeping views across the city.

Cristo Redentor, known in English as Christ the Redeemer, stands high above Rio de Janeiro on the summit of Corcovado, combining monumental Art Deco sculpture with a wide panorama of city, mountains and sea. Completed in 1931 and made of reinforced concrete clad in soapstone, it has become a defining silhouette on the skyline of south-eastern Brazil.

An Art Deco Christ above the Tijuca forest

Cristo Redentor portrays Jesus Christ with arms extended horizontally, forming a cross-like outline against the sky and the surrounding Atlantic forest of the Tijuca National Park. The statue was designed in an Art Deco idiom that was characteristic of the early twentieth century, with simplified volumes and a strong emphasis on outline rather than intricate surface detail.Christ the Redeemer

The project brought together Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and French sculptor Paul Landowski, with additional engineering contributions from Albert Caquot and facial sculpting by Gheorghe Leonida.the team behind the monument Construction began in 1922 and the statue was inaugurated in 1931, a period when Art Deco architecture and decorative arts were spreading across major cities worldwide.construction between 1922 and 1931

Dimensions, materials and the Corcovado setting

The figure of Cristo Redentor rises about 30 m (98 ft) from its base, with a pedestal that adds roughly 8 m (26 ft) to the overall height, giving the ensemble a total height in the region of 38 m (125 ft).height and pedestal The outstretched arms measure around 28 m (92 ft) from fingertip to fingertip, creating a horizontal span that is strongly visible from across the city and the bay.arm span figure

Beneath the pale surface, the statue is built of reinforced concrete, with an outer layer of small soapstone tiles that give the monument its light, slightly textured finish.reinforced concrete and soapstone Cristo Redentor stands at more than 700 m (2,300 ft) above sea level on the summit of Corcovado, a steep granite peak within the Tijuca National Park, and the platforms around the statue look out across the urban districts of Rio de Janeiro, the inlets of Guanabara Bay and nearby mountains.location on Corcovado within the park

A sanctuary and viewpoint above Rio de Janeiro

The site is not only a monument but also an archdiocesan sanctuary, with the statue forming the focal point and chapels and terraces arranged around its base.sanctuary designation The surrounding platforms provide open spaces where visitors can walk around the base of the statue, view the detailing of the soapstone cladding at close range and take in different angles on the landscape below.

Cristo Redentor is part of a wider landscape of protected Atlantic rainforest inside the Tijuca National Park, so the immediate setting combines monumental sculpture with dense vegetation and steep rocky slopes.Tijuca National Park setting The monument has also been listed among the New7Wonders of the World, reflecting its status in global tourism and the way it symbolises Rio de Janeiro and Brazil in many visual representations.election as one of the New7Wonders

Visiting Cristo Redentor: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Cristo Redentor stands on Corcovado in the Tijuca National Park in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro, reached via the Cosme Velho district and mountain access roads.
• The summit area is at over 700 m (2,300 ft) altitude, and reaching the terraces around the statue involves stairs and sloping paths between different observation levels.
• The official language is Portuguese and the currency is the Brazilian real.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Cristo Redentor

Where is Cristo Redentor located?

Cristo Redentor stands on the summit of Corcovado, a mountain inside the Tijuca National Park in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at over 700 m (2,300 ft) above sea level.

What should visitors expect when they reach the monument?

Visitors encounter a tall Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ on a pedestal, surrounded by terraces, chapels and viewing platforms that look across the city and the surrounding forested hills.

What distinguishes Cristo Redentor from other large statues?

The combination of Art Deco design, its height and arm span, its position on Corcovado above Rio de Janeiro and its role as a sanctuary gives Cristo Redentor a distinctive character among monumental statues of Christ.