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When was the Christ the Redeemer statue built, and why
Answer in brief
The Christ the Redeemer statue was built from 1926 and unveiled on 12 October 1931, designed by the Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa with the sculptor Paul Landowski, to mark Brazil's independence centenary as a Christian monument.
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When was the Christ the Redeemer statue built, and by whom? The answer runs from a French priest's dream to a nationwide campaign and a design contest won by a Brazilian engineer.
Editorial team, christtheredeemertour.top · Updated November 11, 2026 · Read in 7 min
Built between 1926 and 1931
When was the Christ the Redeemer statue built? The work on the summit of Corcovado only began in mid 1926,3 and the statue was inaugurated on 12 October 1931.1 Tijuca National Park sums it up as about five years of building,7 which sounds quick until you remember that every bag of cement and every piece of stone had to come up a mountain railway.
The project itself is older. A foundation stone was laid on 4 April 1922, but the actual construction had to wait for years of calculations, plans and design changes.8 The railway operator dates the cornerstone to the same year,9 which ties the start of the story firmly to Brazil's independence centenary.
So how old is the Christ the Redeemer statue? In 2026 the sanctuary celebrated its 95th year and looked ahead to the centenary in 2031.10 The anniversary falls each 12 October, a date it shares with the feast of Brazil's patron saint,11 and in 2026 the celebrations filled the month, with a commemorative stamp among the novelties.12
The team
Who did what
| Person | Role | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Heitor da Silva Costa | Author of the design4 | Brazil |
| Carlos Oswald | Drawing of the open arms4 | Brazil |
| Paul Landowski | Sculpture, head and hands4 | France22 |
| Albert Caquot | Reinforced concrete engineer23 | France22 |
| Gheorghe Leonida | The face5 | Romania5 |
| Heitor Levy | Executing architect24 | Brazil |
| Pedro Viana da Silva | Supervising engineer24 | Brazil |
Roles as the sanctuary, New7Wonders and the São Paulo state legislature's history describe them.4,5,24
A priest's dream above Botafogo
The idea started with a priest at a window. From the church of the Colégio da Imaculada Conceição on Botafogo beach, where the French Lazarist priest Pedro Maria Bos served as chaplain, he looked out every day at the peak of Corcovado,17 and the van concession dates his idea of a monument on its summit to 1859.6 The sanctuary still ties the choice of Corcovado to his old wish.18
The empire seemed ready to listen. The priest's plan had the support of Princess Isabel, but it stalled when the Republic was proclaimed on 15 November 1889 and the imperial family went into exile.19,20 With the empire gone, the plan lost its royal patron, and the idea waited for a new generation to pick it up.
There is a curious twist in the title of Redeemer. In 1888 the abolitionist movement wanted to honor Princess Isabel, who had signed the law ending slavery, with a statue of her as the Redeemer of Brazil on top of Corcovado.13 She refused, the sanctuary's guide booklet recounts, saying that the true Redeemer of humanity is Jesus Christ.13 The name, in a sense, was waiting for the statue.
Why the statue was built: faith and the centenary
Why was the Christ the Redeemer statue built? The van concession gives the short answer: the project only began to take shape in 1922, to mark the centenary of Brazil's independence.6 In 1921 General Pedro Carolino de Almeida had already suggested a bronze monument to Christ the Redeemer for the anniversary,35 and as the date approached the Catholic Circle of Rio met to choose a site.36
It was also a statement of faith by Catholics in a secular republic. Early in the century the idea was taken up by a group of Rio's Catholics led by Cardinal Leme, and the sanctuary stresses that it became real thanks to donations from the Brazilian people.37 In 1922 more than 20,000 women, led by the writer Laurita Lacerda, backed a petition for the monument.38
The shape carries the message. The sanctuary explains that the open arms form a cross and express welcome,27 and on the day of the inauguration Archbishop Sebastião Leme consecrated Brazil to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a heart he had asked to be carved on the statue's chest.39,29 Faith, national pride and a beautiful mountain came together in one figure.
The contest and the design that changed
Three designs were put forward, by José Agostinho dos Reis, Adolfo Morales de los Rios and Heitor da Silva Costa, and Silva Costa's idea won.43 His first version looked nothing like the statue you see today. Jesus held a cross in one hand and a globe in the other, and the design was nicknamed the Cristo da bola, the Christ with the ball.25,26
A drawing of that first version appeared in the Revista da Semana in September 1923, and the sanctuary still keeps it.14 Then the design changed until it reached the open-armed figure in the shape of a cross.26 One account, from São Paulo's state assembly, credits an unlikely muse: a telephone company antenna put up on the summit in 1924.44
Seeing its horizontal cross-arms from his home in Botafogo, the account goes, Silva Costa saw the image of a giant cross, went back to his drawing board and redid the whole project.45 He himself wrote that he was mainly influenced by the statue of Saint Charles Borromeo, which he had examined at Arona on Lake Maggiore in 1912.46 Both stories point the same way: toward a simple, cross-shaped silhouette.
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Key dates
From a priest's idea to a world wonder
1859
The idea
A French priest imagines a monument on Corcovado.6
1888
The Redeemer title
Princess Isabel turns down a statue of herself.13
1922
Centenary project
A foundation stone is laid on 4 April.8
1923
The first design
The cross-and-globe version is published.14
1926
Building starts
Work begins on the summit in mid year.3
1931
Unveiling
Inaugurated on 12 October.1
2006
A sanctuary
Raised to archdiocesan sanctuary.15
2007
A wonder
Voted one of the New Seven Wonders.16
Who built the statue: a Brazilian design, an international team
So who built the Christ the Redeemer statue? The sanctuary names the Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa as the author of the design. The painter Carlos Oswald worked on the drawing of the open-armed figure, and the sculptor Paul Landowski developed the sculpture, including the molds of the head and hands.4 New7Wonders credits the face to Gheorghe Leonida, an artist from Romania.5
In Paris, Silva Costa met Landowski, an Art Deco sculptor, and Albert Caquot, an engineer who specialized in reinforced concrete.23 Back in Rio, Heitor Levy worked on the construction as executing architect and Pedro Viana da Silva as supervising engineer.24 Levy even lived on Corcovado during the works and used the pedestal as his site office.47
Was it a gift from France? No. The sanctuary says the project is Brazilian and was funded by donations, with foreign artists among the contributors.48 Its guide booklet is precise: the only French people involved in the construction were Landowski and Caquot.22 The head and hands were molded in France and shipped over, while the rest was built in Brazil.49
Video
Why did they build Christ the Redeemer
Saffron on YouTube · The video waits until you tap play to load.
In 1888 the abolitionist movement wanted to honor Princess Isabel as the Redeemer of Brazil for signing the Lei Aurea; she refused, saying that the true Redeemer of humanity is Jesus Christ.
On the summit
Traces of the story to look for
Unveiling day on the summit
The inauguration was set for the feast of Brazil's patron saint, Our Lady Aparecida, and pilgrims came to Rio from far and wide.2 Four special trains carried guests and the press up the mountain,50 and Getúlio Vargas, then head of the provisional government, was among those present.51 At the ceremony Dom Sebastião Leme blessed the monument.52
The day had its share of drama. The inventor Guglielmo Marconi was meant to switch on the floodlights by radio signal from his yacht in Genoa, Italy.53 In the end bad weather got in the way, and the lights were turned on from Rio itself.54 It was an early sign of how often the summit's weather would shape the statue's story.
Leme also consecrated Brazil to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that day, and the heart he had requested in 1929 remains on the statue's chest.39,29,30 For the Catholics who had campaigned so long, the inauguration was the fulfillment of a promise; for the city, it was the birth of the image that would come to stand for Rio around the world.
What the statue has meant since
The religious meaning has only grown. On 2 July 1980 Pope John Paul II visited the statue and blessed Rio from its feet,55 and on 12 October 2006, at 75, the monument was raised to an archdiocesan sanctuary.15 Since then the sanctuary has called itself the first open-air sanctuary in the world.56
The wider world took notice too. On 7 July 2007 an internet vote placed the statue among the New Seven Wonders.16 Across the Atlantic, its influence had been felt long before: in 1934 the Patriarch of Lisbon, flying over Rio and seeing the statue below, was inspired to build the Cristo Rei sanctuary facing Lisbon.57
The original consecration has also been renewed. In 2020, during the pandemic, Cardinal Orani João Tempesta repeated the consecration of Brazil to the Sacred Heart at the foot of the statue, recalling his predecessor's act on unveiling day.58 That continuity is the heart of the Christ the Redeemer statue history: built as a prayer in stone, it is still a place of prayer every single day.34
FAQ
Questions answered quickly.
Who designed Christ the Redeemer?
Who sculpted it?
Paul Landowski.
He developed the sculpture, including the molds of the head and hands.4
Who made the face?
Gheorghe Leonida.
New7Wonders credits the Romanian artist with the face.5
Was it a gift from France?
No.
It is a Brazilian project paid for by donations.48
When was the first stone laid?
On 4 April 1922.
Construction on the summit only started in mid 1926.8
Why is it called the Redeemer?
It honors Christ.
Princess Isabel refused that title for herself, saying the true Redeemer is Jesus Christ.13
What age did it reach in 2026?
95 years.
The centenary falls in 2031.10
Sources
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · A historia em um clique (timeline) ↩
- Sao Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP) · Cristo Redentor: 80 anos de um simbolo ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- New7Wonders · Cristo Redentor (1931), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ↩
- Paineiras-Corcovado (official van concession of Tijuca National Park) · Cristo Redentor ↩
- Parque Nacional da Tijuca (ICMBio) · Corcovado ↩
- Sao Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP) · Cristo Redentor: 80 anos de um simbolo ↩
- Trem do Corcovado (tremdocorcovado.rio), the Corcovado Train operator · History and Curiosities ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · A historia em um clique (timeline) ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism company) · Cristo Redentor completa 95 anos com programacao especial ↩
- Riotur (Rio de Janeiro city tourism company) · Cristo Redentor completa 95 anos com programacao especial ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Cartilha do Guia de Turismo (PDF, February 2023) ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · A historia em um clique (timeline) ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · A historia em um clique (timeline) ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · A historia em um clique (timeline) ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Sao Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP) · Cristo Redentor: 80 anos de um simbolo ↩
- Sao Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP) · Cristo Redentor: 80 anos de um simbolo ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · A historia em um clique (timeline) ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Cartilha do Guia de Turismo (PDF, February 2023) ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · A historia em um clique (timeline) ↩
- Sao Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP) · Cristo Redentor: 80 anos de um simbolo ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Espiritualidade ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Santuario de Cristo Rei (Diocese of Setubal) · Cristo Redentor e a consagracao do Brasil ao Sagrado Coracao de Jesus ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Paineiras-Corcovado (official van concession of Tijuca National Park) · Cristo Redentor rumo aos 100 anos: conheca a exposicao
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Horarios e atendimento ↩
- Sao Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP) · Cristo Redentor: 80 anos de um simbolo ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · A historia em um clique (timeline) ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Cartilha do Guia de Turismo (PDF, February 2023) ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Santuario de Cristo Rei (Diocese of Setubal) · Cristo Redentor e a consagracao do Brasil ao Sagrado Coracao de Jesus ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Paineiras-Corcovado (official van concession of Tijuca National Park) · Cristo Redentor rumo aos 100 anos: conheca a exposicao ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · A historia em um clique (timeline) ↩
- Sao Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP) · Cristo Redentor: 80 anos de um simbolo ↩
- Sao Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP) · Cristo Redentor: 80 anos de um simbolo ↩
- Sao Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP) · Cristo Redentor: 80 anos de um simbolo ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Curiosidades ↩
- Paineiras-Corcovado (official van concession of Tijuca National Park) · Cristo Redentor ↩
- Sao Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP) · Cristo Redentor: 80 anos de um simbolo ↩
- Santuario de Cristo Rei (Diocese of Setubal) · Cristo Redentor e a consagracao do Brasil ao Sagrado Coracao de Jesus ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · A historia em um clique (timeline) ↩
- Sao Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP) · Cristo Redentor: 80 anos de um simbolo ↩
- Sao Paulo State Legislative Assembly (ALESP) · Cristo Redentor: 80 anos de um simbolo ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · A historia em um clique (timeline) ↩
- Santuario Cristo Redentor (Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro) · Cartilha do Guia de Turismo (PDF, February 2023) ↩
- Santuario de Cristo Rei (Diocese of Setubal) · A historia ↩
- Santuario de Cristo Rei (Diocese of Setubal) · Cristo Redentor e a consagracao do Brasil ao Sagrado Coracao de Jesus ↩