''Christ the Protector'' () is a statue of
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
constructed in
Encantado, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
The statue was started in 2019, and completed in April 22, 2022,
with a height of 43 m (140 ft) with its pedestal, making it the world's third tallest Jesus statue (after
Jesus Buntu Burake
''Jesus Buntu Burake'' ( id, Patung Yesus Kristus Memberkati, "Statue of Jesus Christ Blessing") is a Roman Catholic statue of Jesus Christ at Makale in Tana Toraja Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. It is the tallest statue of Jesus Christ in ...
and
Christ the King, Świebodzin) and 5m taller than the ''
''Christ the Redeemer'' statue in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
.
Construction began in 2019 and was the idea of local mayor Adroaldo Conzatti, who died of
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
in March 2021.
The Friends of Christ Association (AACristo) organization funded the $350,000 to build it from donations and also oversaw the construction of the statue.
The venue will be open to the public sometime in 2023, said Robison Gonzatti, AACristo's vice president.
Though the surrounding tourist complex is still under construction, visitors can visit the statue up close during Saturdays, Sundays and
Brazilian holidays as indicated in their website.
References
{{coord missing, Brazil
Buildings and structures in Rio Grande do Sul
Colossal statues of Jesus
Statues in Brazil