Qualla: Christ the Redeemer: The Statue Built from Soapstone Carried Up a Mountain https://qualla.com/christ-redeemer en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:05 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/7/5/c/m/christ-redeemer-wk/hero-small.webp Qualla: Christ the Redeemer: The Statue Built from Soapstone Carried Up a Mountain https://qualla.com/christ-redeemer Christ the Redeemer: The Statue Built from Soapstone Carried Up a Mountain: Introduction https://qualla.com/christ-redeemer/ Photo credit Pēteris, CC BY 2.0. Christ the Redeemer stands on Corcovado mountain with arms outstretched, embracing Rio de Janeiro below. The statue is 98 feet tall atop a 26-foot pedestal, made of reinforced concrete faced with over 6 million soapstone tiles hand-cut in Brazil. Construction took nine years, with materials hauled up the steep mountain by rack railway. When it was dedicated in 1931, Christ the Redeemer was the largest Art Deco statue in the world. Today, it's one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, visited by 2 million people annually, and the defining image of Brazil.

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Image: Pēteris | CC BY 2.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/7/5/c/m/christ-redeemer-wk/75cm-christ-the-redeemer-the-statue-built-from-soapston-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Christ the Redeemer: The Statue Built from Soapstone Carried Up a Mountain: The Vision https://qualla.com/christ-redeemer/ Photo credit Usrotors, CC BY-SA 4.0. The idea for a monument on Corcovado dates to the 1850s, when a priest first proposed placing a Christian monument on the peak. The current project began in 1920, when the Catholic Circle of Rio petitioned for a statue to mark the centennial of Brazilian independence. Funds were...

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Image: Usrotors | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/7/5/c/m/christ-redeemer-wk/75cm-christ-the-redeemer-the-statue-built-from-soapston-the-vision.mp3 0:06 2 full Christ the Redeemer: The Statue Built from Soapstone Carried Up a Mountain: The Design https://qualla.com/christ-redeemer/ Photo credit Luiz Pantoja from São Paulo, CC BY 2.0. Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa designed the statue. French sculptor Paul Landowski created the head and hands. Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida created the face. The Art Deco style was chosen for its geometric simplicity - the robes fall in sharp, angular folds rather...

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Image: Luiz Pantoja from São Paulo | CC BY 2.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/7/5/c/m/christ-redeemer-wk/75cm-christ-the-redeemer-the-statue-built-from-soapston-the-design.mp3 0:06 3 full Christ the Redeemer: The Statue Built from Soapstone Carried Up a Mountain: The Construction https://qualla.com/christ-redeemer/ Photo credit Eric from Columbus, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. Building atop a 2,300-foot peak presented immense challenges. All materials traveled up the Corcovado Rack Railway, a steep cog railway built in 1884. Workers constructed the concrete frame first, then applied the soapstone tiles by hand. The statue's arms span 92 feet, each wei...

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Image: Eric from Columbus, USA | CC BY-SA 2.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/7/5/c/m/christ-redeemer-wk/75cm-christ-the-redeemer-the-statue-built-from-soapston-the-construction.mp3 0:06 4 full Christ the Redeemer: The Statue Built from Soapstone Carried Up a Mountain: The Icon https://qualla.com/christ-redeemer/ Photo credit Paola Rhenius, CC BY-SA 4.0. Christ the Redeemer instantly became Rio's defining landmark - visible from throughout the city, arms open in eternal welcome. The statue appears in almost every photograph of Rio, every film set in Brazil, every World Cup broadcast. It's Brazil's most famous monument. The statu...

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Image: Paola Rhenius | CC BY-SA 4.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/7/5/c/m/christ-redeemer-wk/75cm-christ-the-redeemer-the-statue-built-from-soapston-the-icon.mp3 0:06 5 full Christ the Redeemer: The Statue Built from Soapstone Carried Up a Mountain: The Meaning https://qualla.com/christ-redeemer/ Photo credit User: (WT-shared) Velorian at wts wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 1.0. What does Christ the Redeemer mean? To Catholics, it's a monument to faith, the Sacred Heart of Jesus blessing Brazil. To Brazilians of all faiths, it's a national symbol, representing welcome and openness. To tourists, it's the ultimate Instagram backdrop. Two million visitors ...

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Image: User: (WT-shared) Velorian at wts wikivoyage | CC BY-SA 1.0

]]> Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/7/5/c/m/christ-redeemer-wk/75cm-christ-the-redeemer-the-statue-built-from-soapston-the-meaning.mp3 0:06 6 full