''Lux Mundi '' (Latin for " Light of the World") is a tall statue of

Jesus 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 ...

at Solid Rock Church, a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

nondenominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

church near

Monroe, Ohio Monroe is a city in east central Butler and west central Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 15,412 at the 2020 census. Monroe is a part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. History Monroe was l ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Designed by

Tom Tsuchiya Tom Tsuchiya also known as Norikazu (born August 3, 1972) is an American artist who creates public sculpture. He is best known for bronze sculptures for Major League Baseball and the National Football League. Pahigian, Josh, & O’Connell, Kevin ...

, ''Lux Mundi'' replaced the statue ''

King of Kings King of Kings; grc-gre, Βασιλεὺς Βασιλέων, Basileùs Basiléōn; hy, արքայից արքա, ark'ayits ark'a; sa, महाराजाधिराज, Mahārājadhirāja; ka, მეფეთ მეფე, ''Mepet mepe'' ...

'' which was struck by lightning and destroyed by fire in 2010.

Design

The statue shows Jesus stepping forward with a welcoming gesture, a pose inspired by the

Gospels Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

St. Matthew Matthew the Apostle,, shortened to ''Matti'' (whence ar, مَتَّى, Mattā), meaning "Gift of YHWH"; arc, , Mattai; grc-koi, Μαθθαῖος, ''Maththaîos'' or , ''Matthaîos''; cop, ⲙⲁⲧⲑⲉⲟⲥ, Mattheos; la, Matthaeus a ...

and St. John.Vaccariello, Linda. ''Rock Solid Sculptor'', p. 20. ''Cincinnati Magazine''. Facing

I-75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from St ...

, the statue stands on a foundation decorated by rocks with a cascading water feature. Because of its pose and inviting quality (and in reference to its predecessor's nickname "Touchdown Jesus"), ''Lux Mundi'' has earned the nickname “Hug Me Jesus”.

Construction

The polymer composite and steel sculpture is mainly fabricated by Display Dynamics of

Clayton, Ohio Clayton is a city in Montgomery county in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 13,310 at the 2020 United States census. A suburb of Dayton. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city was named after John Clayton, a ...

. Since the original statue at Solid Rock Church was destroyed by fire, the new statue incorporates fire resistant materials including a lightning suppression system. Following several months of work, the major pieces of the statue were assembled together at the site on September 19, 2012, and it was dedicated eleven days later.

References

External links

* {{coord, 39.453857, -84.32642, region:US_type:landmark, display=title Buildings and structures in Warren County, Ohio Colossal statues of Jesus Monuments and memorials in Ohio Outdoor sculptures in Ohio Christianity in Ohio 2012 sculptures

Design

Construction

See also

References

External links