The town of Encantado (Rio Grande do Sul state) finished building the largest Christ statue in Brazil on April 22nd. Given its height of 43.5 meters (the same as a 15-story building) and six-meter pedestal, it is taller than Christ the Redeemer, the traditional landmark in Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro state). The height of the Rio statue is 38 meters – the statue itself is 30 meters high, while the pedestal on which it rests stands eight meters tall.

Swiebodzin, in Poland, has the largest structure with an image of Christ, which is 52 meters tall. The monument in the Grande do Sul town is by artist Markus Moura. It started being built in 2019 and weighs close to 1,700 tons (roughly the weight of 400 Asian elephants). The goal is to attract visitors to the area, as it will be part of the tourist complex scheduled to open in the first half of 2023.

Although it has not officially been inaugurated, the statue is open to the public and can be visited on Saturdays and Sundays. Starting in August, an elevator will go up to the heart of the Christ where there is a panoramic view of the Taquari Valley, where the statue is located. Also, in the future, restaurants, a chapel, and restrooms will open to add to the visitor experience. A date has not yet been set for when this will happen.

Questions

1) When did construction of Cristo de Encantado start?

a) In 2019

b) In 2009

c) It will still start in 2023.

d) In 2022

2) Which statues and monuments have you visited in Brazil? Which one did you like the most and why?

Sources: BBC, Estadão, G1, Encantado government, and the official website of Cristo Encantado.

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