On April 22, 2022, the town of Encantado in south Brazil completed a new Jesus statue that is taller than Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Christ the Redeemer. Encantado’s statue, called Christ the Protector, is 43 meters (141 feet) tall, nearly five meters taller than Rio’s. Among monuments dedicated to Christ, only a 249-foot structure in Mexico (currently under construction) and a 172-foot one in Poland are taller than Encantado’s. It is set to become an integral part of the town’s plans to attract tourists, moving forward.
The monument is even taller than the famous 90-year-old Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro
The new statue was sculpted by artist Markus Moura from Brazil’s Ceara State. Work on the statue began in 2019 and has been funded by local businesses in the region. It is built with concrete over a metal structure and has been erected on a hill above the town. The statue has an observation point for visitors who can look out through a large heart-shaped window. But the venue will only be open to the public sometime next year as the statue is part of one of several stages in building a tourist complex, which is still under construction.
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 holidays as indicated on their website.
