38 metres of soapstone arms outstretched 700 metres above Rio — the embrace that defines a city.
Atop the Corcovado mountain, 700 metres above the Atlantic, stands a 38-metre soapstone Christ with arms stretched 28 metres wide. Designed by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and sculpted by the French-Polish Paul Landowski, the statue was completed in 1931 after almost a decade of construction.
Originally a religious commission to mark Brazil's centenary of independence, Christ the Redeemer has become a secular icon — a stand-in for Rio itself, recognisable from kilometres away across the bay.
The Corcovado cog railway departs from Cosme Velho; vans from Paineiras provide a faster alternative. Sunrise visits avoid both the crowds and the cloud line.
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