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All Italy Santa Caterina Cristo Redentore (Christ the Redeemer)

Cristo Redentore (Christ the Redeemer)

The tallest statue in Italy is also one of the world's tallest statues of Jesus.

Santa Caterina, Italy

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The statue.   valtercirillo/public domain
The statue.   valtercirillo/public domain
Monte San Biagio and Christ the Redeemer.   Ferdinando Marfella/cc by-sa 2.0
Frontal view.   Luke18389/cc by-sa 4.0
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About

Unknown to many, the statue of Christ the Redeemer of Maratea is the tallest sculpture in Italy. With a height of over 70 feet (21 meters), it's one of the tallest statues of Jesus in the world.

Before the statue, a memorial iron cross had stood atop the mountain since 1907. But it was often hit by lightning and subsequently damaged, so it was replaced in 1941 by a concrete cross.

The idea to create this statue came to Italian entrepreneur Count Stefano Rivetti di Val Cervo after a trip to Brazil. The project was realized by Florentine sculptor Bruno Innocenti and was built in the early 1960s near the Basilica di San Biagio.

The face of this Christ the Redeemer is vastly different from the classic iconography of Jesus, as it has short hair and a short beard. The arms are wide open and are slightly bent at the top, with the right arm slightly higher than the left one. From a distance, it's hard to tell which direction the statue is actually facing. In fact, many think that the statue faces the sea, when in reality it faces the mountains of Basilicata. 

 

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Christianity Statues

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In winter, access to the statue is free. In the summer, there is a 4€ parking fee that includes a shuttle service from the parking lot to the statue, plus the entry ticket. A 360-degree view of the beautiful coast and mountains can be enjoyed from the panoramic viewpoint at the foot of the statue.

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Added By

StepYoshi

Edited By

Kerry Wolfe

  • Kerry Wolfe

Published

September 20, 2019

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Sources
  • https://www.maratea.info/statua-cristo-redentore-maratea.html
  • https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statua_del_Redentore_(Maratea)
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristo_Redentore
  • http://www.cristodimaratea.it/language.html
  • https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maratea#Statua_del_Redentore
  • http://www.cristodimaratea.it/home-EN.html
  • https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statua_del_Redentore_(Maratea)
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cristo_Redentore
Cristo Redentore (Christ the Redeemer)
1 Via Castello
Santa Caterina, 85046
Italy
39.987711, 15.720958
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