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Christ the Redeemer Facts & Worksheets

“Christ the Redeemer” or “Cristo Redentor” is a statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that was built as a symbol of Brazilian Christianity.

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“Christ the Redeemer” or “Cristo Redentor” is a statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that was built as a symbol of Brazilian Christianity. It was created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa.

See the fact file below for more information on the Christ the Redeemer or alternatively, you can download our 19-page Christ the Redeemer worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

  • The Christ the Redeemer statue was completed in 1931 and stands at 98 feet (30 metres) tall with its horizontally outstretched arms spanning 92 feet (28 metres).
  • The statue, made of reinforced concrete clad in a mosaic of thousands of triangular soapstone tiles, sits on a square stone pedestal base about 26 feet (8 metres) high, which itself is situated on a deck atop the mountain’s summit.
  • The statue is the largest Art Deco-style sculpture in the world and is one of Rio de Janeiro’s most recognizable landmarks.
  • In 1921, the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro proposed that a statue of Christ be built on the 2,310-foot (704-metre) summit, which, because of its commanding height, would make it visible from anywhere in Rio.

HISTORY

  • Vincentian priest Pedro Maria Boss first suggested placing a Christian monument on Mount Corcovado in the mid 1850s to honor Princess Isabel, regent of Brazil and the daughter of Emperor Pedro II, but the project was not approved. In 1889, the country became a republic, and due to the separation of church and state, the proposed statue was dismissed.
  • The Catholic Circle of Rio made a second proposal for a landmark statue on the mountain in 1920. The group organized an event called Semana do Monumento (“Monument Week”) to attract donations and collect signatures to support the building of the statue.
  • The organization was motivated by what they perceived as ‘Godlessness’ in the society. The donations came mostly from Brazilian Catholics.
  • The designs considered for the “Statue of the Christ” included a representation of the Christian cross, a statue of Jesus with a globe in his hands, and a pedestal symbolizing the world.
  • The statue of Jesus Christ with open arms, a symbol of peace, was chosen. Local engineer Heitor da Silva Costa designed the statue while French sculptor Paul Landowski created the work.
  • In 1922, Landowski commissioned fellow Parisian Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida, who studied sculpture at the Fine Arts Conservatory in Bucharest and in Italy.

ARCHITECTURE

  • Christ the Redeemer is a work of art involving engineering, architecture, and sculpture.
  • It was obvious to architect and engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, the author of the project, who emphasized the importance of mathematical rigor in the work of Christ the Redeemer whose height (38 meters with the base) corresponds to a 13-storey building.
  • In his writings, Silva Costa defines the project as being bold because the statue will be subjected both to the complexity of the implementation but also to the climatic conditions, winds, and lightning at the head.
  • The hardest part, he said, was the construction of the arms because the upper part of the hill was too small to accommodate a scaffold. The tray is only 15 meters wide, half the distance between the ends of the fingers.
  • The body and arms of Christ were studied by Silva Costa as a work of engineering and architecture in its own right, and the hands and head as sculpture. The hardness of the concrete was softened by the soapstone coating, a material previously used by Aleijadinho in some of his works.
  • The statue is therefore covered by small triangles (tesserae), which form a great mosaic. The strength of the statue, its longevity, is its internal structure in reinforced concrete.

ICONIC STATUE

  • The Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil is iconic. Sitting atop Corcovado mountain and overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro, it is a statue known around the world.
  • Cristo Redentor is the local name for Rio’s statue of Jesus Christ, although English-speakers call it the Christ Redeemer statue or Christ, the Redeemer.
  • In 2007, the Christ the Redeemer statue was named one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, beating out the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, which was only one of the 21 finalists.
  • The Brazilian statue is not as old and it’s smaller than Lady Liberty, yet its perceived presence is pervasive. Christ the Redeemer is omnipresent throughout this South American city even when Lady Liberty is quickly forgotten on the streets of New York City.

PRESERVATION

  • The magnitude of any large structure gives architecture a “wow” factor. For the Christ the Redeemer statue, each hand is 10.5 feet long. Thousands of triangular tiles of soapstone are inlaid into the steel-reinforced concrete.
  • Cristo Redentor has braved the elements, including several lightning strikes, since it was completed in 1931. Designers planned for continued maintenance by creating internal areas with access doors to various parts of the statue. Professional cleaning companies such as Karcher North America have been seen straddling a hand while cleaning the tiles.

Christ the Redeemer Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Christ the Redeemer across 19 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Christ the Redeemer worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the “Christ the Redeemer” or “Cristo Redentor” which is a statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that was built as a symbol of Brazilian Christianity. It was created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro Facts
  • Christ the Redeemer facts
  • CRRJ Timeline
  • My Statue!
  • News Article!
  • The Brazilian Engineer
  • People Behind
  • CRRJ Crossword
  • C for Christ
  • Landowski’s Creation
  • Rio’s Statue

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Link will appear as Christ the Redeemer Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 17, 2019

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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