Christ the King (Cristo Rei)

The Cristo Rei is a statue of Christ, which is located in the city of Almada in Portugal. It represents Christ with open arms, the Ponte 25 de Abril and the city of Lisbon turns to.

The statue stands on a 75 meter high pedestal. It is located 113 meters above the River Tagus. The statue itself is 28 meters high, making it the sixth highest statue of Christ in the world.

The monument is one of the tallest buildings in Portugal and is the main attraction of the circle Almada dar. Because of their height, the statue is one of the best views of Lisbon.

Addition to the pilgrimage sites Fatima and Santiago de Compostela, the statue of Portuguese authorities ranks among the three most important places of pilgrimage in the Iberian Peninsula.

History

When the then Archbishop of Lisbon Dom Manuel Gonçalves Cerejeira 1934, the former Brazilian capital Rio de Janeiro visited inspired him ( with 30 m height slightly greater ), inaugurated in 1931 Cristo Redentor statue, a replica in Lisbon. He managed to convince the Portuguese episcopate of his plan. At a meeting on 20 April 1940 in Fatima praised the bishops to erect the statue, god Portugal should spare before the Second World War.

After the end of the war began on 18 December 1949, the construction of the statue. The Christ Sculpture was made by the Portuguese sculptor Francisco Franco de Sousa. The Portuguese architect António Lino designed the pedestal. After about ten years of construction, the statue was inaugurated on Pentecost Sunday, May 17, 1959 in the presence of the Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro and Lourenço Marques of (now Maputo ) and 300,000 attendees. Pope John XXIII. could not be present, but sent his greetings.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the inauguration of a plan to expand the site in 1984 adopted, which provided for the construction of a reception center with office buildings and a chapel.

From 2001 to 2002 restoration work was carried out.

On 17 May 2007, the Sala João XXIII was inaugurated with eight paintings on the subject of Pax in Terris. On the same day, the Cruz Alta was laid down before the statue, which had previously been found in the Sanctuary of Fátima.

Gallery

Close-up view (page )

Cristo Rei statue next to the Ponte 25 de Abril

Main building the forecourt