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Back in 1950, when the Vincentian priest, Pedro Maria Boss suggested the idea to erect a Christian symbol for the city, but was rejected, the seed was planted in the minds of Christian Catholics in Brazil that would grow into a world-famed piece the following century. With Brazil, having established a republic in 1889, thus separating church from the state, there came an outcry from the nation’s Catholics that the world was heading towards doom, due to "godlessness". It all began following World War I, with the Roman Catholic archdiocese, or, simply, the catholic priest’s call, to install a religious symbol for the city.
Upon receiving permission, the stone base was laid on April 4, 1922 in a ceremony, also in commemoration of 100-year anniversary of Brazil’s independence from Portugal. With the design of prospected statue still undecided, a competition to find the designer was held the same year. Five people partook in realizing the look of the statue, including the French engineer, Albert Caquot, and the Romanian artist Gheorghe Leonida. Heitor da Silva Costa, a Brazilian engineer was chosen on the merit of his sketches, although his original idea was of Christ with a cross and a miniature world sphere in his hands.
Upon catching the name "Christ with a ball", it was Carlos Oswald, a Brazilian artist, whose design of Christ's standing pose with arms spread wide in an Art Deco style, was implemented instead, but still working in collaboration with Costa. Partnering also with Paul Landowski, a Polish-French sculptor, Oswald was the final author behind the structure's head and hands. The funds to begin construction, which began in 1926, were raised primarily and privately by the church, with materials and workers getting transported via railway to the summit, while the whole work of the engineers took place between 1922 and 1931.
Significance Of Christ The RedeemerThe main significance in Christ the Redeemer lies in its ability to represent various things to different people, or depending on how one looks at it. Having eliminated the need for the statue to carry a cross with Costa's design of the open-wide stance effectively incorporated the cross within the whole Christ's silhouette. The Brazilians see the welcoming gesture in the figure, while those of Catholic religion, add that it is a literate translation of Christ inviting people in for a hug, to sooth one's soul during hardship's, and, as an embrace upon meeting him after death. Some also believe that the money for the project came from individuals' in and around Brazil donations, as opposed to strictly from the church’s funds.
Scholars have also noted significance in the fact that the figure varies greatly from the God's son's depiction in all other spheres, being nailed to a cross with a bowed head, in defeat. Not the largest structure in the world, Cristo Redentor, in its native Portuguese, is the largest Art Deco structure on Earth, that, in 1969, Brazilian artist Gilberto Gil was inspired to write a song about, called "That Hug" ("Aquele Abraço"). Having been featured in various Hollywood films, many have also seen the sweeping shots of the iconic Christ the Redeemer figure mounting Corcovado, in the Olympics. The various meanings, the breathtaking view, the colorful history, and the uncertain future of the structure, keep up the fascination.