Christ the Redeemer Statue (O Cristo Redentor) Reviews (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

Find Redemption in Rio

Andújar, Spain

January 13, 2010

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Best of IgoUgo At risk of expounding a horrible cliché, Rio de Janeiro is very much a city of vivid contradictions - sharp cleavages between rich and poor, favelas and gated compounds, hectic city life and remarkable natural beauty, all mixed-up and poured out ...Read more

Christ the Redeemer Statue

by LenR

Townsville, Queensland, Australia

November 2, 2009

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Best of IgoUgo Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro. The statue stands 40 metres (130 ft) tall, including its 9.5 metres pedestal, and 30 metres wide. It weighs 635 tons, and is located at the peak of the 700 metres Corcovado Mountain ...Read more Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro. The statue stands 40 metres (130 ft) tall, including its 9.5 metres pedestal, and 30 metres wide. It weighs 635 tons, and is located at the peak of the 700 metres Corcovado Mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city. It is a truly magnificent sight and the trip here, including the train ride, is my top experience in the city. At night, the statue is floodlit and is visible from almost every part of the city.

The idea for erecting a large statue atop Corcovado was first suggested in the mid 1850s, when Catholic priest Pedro Maria Boss requested financing from Princess Isabel to build a large religious monument. Princess Isabel did not think much of the idea and it was completely dismissed in 1889, when Brazil became a Republic, with laws mandating the separation of church and state. The second proposal for a large landmark statue on the mountain was made in 1921 by the Catholic Circle of Rio. The group organised an event called Monument Week to attract designs, donations and collect signatures to support the building of the statue. The statue of Christ the Redeemer with open arms was chosen as the winner.

After much consideration it was decided to build the structure out of reinforced concrete with an outer layer of soapstone, chosen for its enduring qualities and ease of use. Construction took nine years, from 1922 to 1931. It has been a major attraction and the symbol of Rio ever since. In 2007, Christ the Redeemer was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a list compiled by the Swiss-based The New Open World Corporation.

You can drive to the top of the mountain but the best way to get to the statue is by the Corcovado train. This was the first electrified Brazilian railroad. Inaugurated in 1884, it’s much older than the monument of Christ and was used to carry the parts of the statue to be mounted at the top of the hill. The train operates from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM, with departures at every half-hour. Trip duration is around 20 minutes. The view from the train was alluring, giving us a keen anticipation of what was to come. The best views are obtained from the right side of the carriage.

The views from the top were just spectacular. The Redeemer’s gaze is directed at Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf) while slightly to the right is the great Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon, Jardim Botanico and Ipanema. The statue’s left arm points to the North Zone of the city with the Maracana football stadium and the international airport clearly visible. Fortunately it was a bright sunny day and we could even see the Serra dos Orgaos mountain range in the distance.
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From journal Go to Rio

Christ Redeemer & Corcovado Mountain

by Linda Hoernke

St. George, Utah

September 7, 2009

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Rio's most famous site is the Statue of Christ holding his arms wide open welcoming visitors and blessing the city of Rio. The 100 foot statue covered with mosaic soapstone stands on the hill of Corcovado, which is about 2400 feet high. There is ...Read more

From journal Museums & Sites of Rio

Excellent

by amarlisa

New Orleans, Louisiana

July 25, 2009

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This is an excellent place to visit. You can get there by car or train. I took the train and enjoyed the ride with other visitors. If you decide to go with the train and did not take a taxi you must go really slow when trying to find the place. It ...Read more

Christ the Redeemer

by Valerita

Montevideo, Uruguay

June 27, 2008

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Best of IgoUgo My Visit to One of the Seven Wonders of the WorldOur visit to the Corcovado was the highest point of our trip to Rio. We had the first glance of the statue in our way to Buzios. He was there, waiting with this arms open as if he was receiving us. ...Read more My Visit to One of the Seven Wonders of the World

Our visit to the Corcovado was the highest point of our trip to Rio. We had the first glance of the statue in our way to Buzios. He was there, waiting with this arms open as if he was receiving us. We continue our way to Buzios, spent six amazing days there and then returned to Rio for a three day stay. You immediately fall in love with this city; the energy that radiates is unbelievable. What I found most interesting was the contrast that you can see everywhere: mountains, the see, a forest in the middle of the city, the favelas, luxury buildings, etc, etc.

It was Saturday, our penultimate day in Rio. We woke up very early and headed to the restaurant to have breakfast. After charging our batteries (this applies both for our camera batteries and our tummies), we decided that we had time to go to the beach and went to Ipanema. We returned to the hotel and at 11 o’clock Marcelo, the taxi driver, pick us up. There are three ways to go to the Corcovado: a taxi, a van, and the train. Our agency had arranged us a taxi and it was fine for us. Marcelo turned to be not just a taxi driver but also a tourist guide, willing to tell us the history of the city and of the monuments and buildings that call our attention on our way to the Christ.

We started going through the Tijuca National Forest when suddenly we notice a traffic jam some meters ahead of us. Ok, let’s not worried, in some minutes the traffic will be normal again, we thought. It was not. We were informed that there was a protest of taxi drivers and that there was no way we could go up. We were returning to Montevideo the next day, so that was the only chance we have to visit the Christ. With deep sadness and disappointment we started our way down when we heard on the radio that access was possible by train. So we went to Cosme Velho Station, bought the R$36 ticket and in 15 minutes we were boarding the train.

The ride through the Tijuca National Park is gorgeous; it’s the biggest urban forest in the world. And when we got to the top…the city was at our feet. We had waited for that moment for a long time, and after being there we tried to enjoy every single second, every single view. The statue is huge, much bigger than what I thought it would be. Located at the peak of the Corcovado hill, 700 meters high, the Christ stands almost 40 meters and weights 700 tons. It was made of “soap” stone by the French-Polish sculptor Paul Landowski.

The train operates from 8.30am to 6.30pm and the trip to the top lasts around 20 minutes. Close

From journal Rio de Janeiro, City of Contrasts

Must-take Tour in Rio de Janeiro

by lmsuntan

San Diego, California

May 13, 2008

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If you're visiting Rio de Janeiro there's a full-day tour offered by Brazil Expedition that you can't miss! It started at 10am with a short hike to the top of Pedra Bonita where we saw the best view of the beaches in Rio and the jump off platform ...Read more

Christ The Redeemer

by iverge

Toronto, Ontario

January 18, 2008

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A MUST when in Rio. The views are breathtaking and you feel like you are on top of the world. Take a round trip flat-rate taxi which should be about $30 total.

From journal New Years

Christ the Redeemer

by travellingdave

Calgary, Alberta

January 3, 2007

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Best of IgoUgo Absolutely no visit to Rio de Janeiro is complete without ascending Corcovado Mountain's steep walls to the Cristo Redentor monument (Christ the Redeemer). Seen from almost everywhere in Rio, this statue showing Christ with outstretched arms, ...Read more

From journal Sun and Surf in Rio

Christ the Redeemer

by nas

Poughkeepsie, New York

July 8, 2006

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Best of IgoUgo If you've seen the Simpsons episode where Bart and family go to Rio, you might remember a scene where they look up at a huge statue of Christ and Homer says, "It looks like he's on the dashboard of the whole world..." He's talking about the Cristo ...Read more If you've seen the Simpsons episode where Bart and family go to Rio, you might remember a scene where they look up at a huge statue of Christ and Homer says, "It looks like he's on the dashboard of the whole world..." He's talking about the Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue, a 98 feet bohemoth situated at the top of Corcovado mountain, which is one of the most recognized images from Rio.

When we drove from the international airport to our apartment, you could see the statue prominently overlooking the entire city. It really is quite a sight, and also a constant reminder that you are indeed in a country of Catholics. As you could probably tell from the title of this journal that neither of us prescribe to the religion this statue honors, we still made a point to see it for two reasons: a) its location offers some of the best views of the city, and b) the sheer size of the statue is something that you need to see up close in person; the postcards never do it justice.

To get there, take a cab or bus to the base of Corcovado Mountain. Once there, you will have two options for seeing the statue: the Corcovado Railroad or hire a taxi driver. The railroad takes you through the Tijuca Forest and then to the statue, and costs R$30 per person. We opted for the taxi option, where a driver takes you to Santa Teresa and to the statue and waits for you at each stop. I highly recommend seeing Santa Teresa because while there you can take some of the best photos of the whole city. I stood at the top and took 5 photos spanning 180 degrees and then stitched them together to make a beautiful panorama that beats any postcard you can buy (see the attached pano photo). The taxi option is also cheaper (R$20/person) and you will not have to wait like you do with the train. The bonus during our trip was that the driver put on some really funky Brazilian music on the radio on the way up (the song was called "Boladona" and it was one of the hottest songs in the clubs in Brazil that summer). Close

From journal A Jew and a Muslim Spend Christmas in Brazil...

Corcovado with Christ the Redeemer

by driftingdeals

Rio de Janiero, Brazil

April 19, 2006

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Best of IgoUgo Do not miss this. Even if you're panicking about how high up this place is, don't. I have true vertigo (not acrophobia) and sometimes have issues about where I can or can't go. I managed Corcovado pretty well, so most anyone can. Very wide stone ...Read more

From journal Living in Rio

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