A giant statue of Jesus Christ is being built in Southern Brazil—taller than the celebrated counterpart Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro.
This week the new “Christ the Protector” statue got ahead and arms added to it which stands tall in Encantado, a small town in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The makers of the statue are Markus Moura and his father, Genésio Gomes Moura.
A local organization called Friends of Christ Association had taken responsibility for the construction, which started in July 2019. It will stand 141 feet tall, made of concrete and steel, and 16 feet higher than Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer.
As Christ the Redeemer will complete its 90th anniversary this October, the new statue will be the third-highest statue of Jesus, after a 249 feet monument in Mexico and 172 feet tall statue in Poland.
It will cost about $353,000 to construct the statue which will also have a glass opening and an elevator installed for tourists. The construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2021.