Brazil News
| RIO DE JANEIRO – The iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer, high above the city with its outstretched arms seemingly embracing the the whole of humanity, turns 80 today. Standing 130 feet tall and weighing 700 tons, the art deco statue, made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, debuted on October 12th, 1931.
Heavy fog Wednesday morning in Rio de Janeiro shrouded the Christ statue as celebratory events were set to kick off. About 60 young Catholics spent the night on top of Corcovado—the 2,329 foot granite peak where the statue is located—to experience sunrise on the 80th anniversary.
The Archdiocese of Rio prepared a blessing for visitors and a solemn mass recited by Archbishop Orani Tempesta. After the mass, and the unveiling of busts of Heitor da Silva Costa (the engineer responsible for designing the statue) and Dom Sebastian Leme (archbishop of Rio at the inauguration of the statue), an 8 meter cake was enjoyed by all.
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Brazilian online news source for this article: O Globo
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