Corcovado mountain is one of the main reasons people from all over the world flock to Rio year after year. The name Corcovado derives its name from "corcova", which means ( hunchback) because of the mountains physical appearance.

It stands 2,316 Ft - (706m) high, and holds Brazil's most precious and recognizable landmark, the iconic Cristo Redentor - ( Christ the Redeemer ). The statue stands in the center of the gorgeous tropical jungle of Parque Nacional da Tijuca, and looks out upon all of Rio de Janeiro, embrassing the city with open arms, and is seen as a testament of the warmth of the Brazilian people.

The beautiful statue and its sweeping aerial panorama are worth the trip alone, and we guarantee you will experience an un explainable feeling as you gaze up at the Christ, and look out over the city below.Maybe this is why it was elected a world marvel July 7th 2007, and has attracted millions of visitors including famous people like Pope John Paul ll, Pope Pius Xll, and Albert Einstein to name a few.

Catholic priest Pedro Maria Boss first came up with the idea to build a large religious monument atop Corcovado in the mid 1850's, and requested financing from Princess Isabel. She did not like the idea, and it was dismissed in 1889, when Brazil became a republic with laws mandating the separation of church and state.

The second attempt at a large landmark statue was made by the "Catholic Circle of Rio" in 1921.
Monument week or "Semana do Monumento" was then organized to collect signatures and donations which mainly came from Brazilian catholics, to support the building of the statue.

There were many different statue designs considered before the statue of Christ the Redeemer with open arms was chosen. There was a representation of the Christian cross, a statue of Jesus holding a globe, and a pedestal that symbolized the world.

The statue was designed by a local engineer named Heitor da Silva Costa, and a French sculptor named Paul Landowski sculpted the statue, and a group of engineers and technisions studied his submissions before, the decision was made not to use steel for the structure. They decided to use reinforced concrete instead, because they felt it would be better suited for the cross shaped statue. The reinforced concrete structure was designed by Albert Carquot.

Soapstone was chosen for the statues outer layers for its enduring qualities and ease of use. It also acted as an insulator on February 10th 2008, when lightning struck the statue, but left it un skathed during a violent electrical storm that caused havoc in Rio.

The 98ft (30m) statue was shipped from France to Brazil, covered in limestone, and hauled up the mountain by rail for assembly and attachment to the supporting pillars.The head of this massive statue weighs 30 tons alone, and the pedestal on which it stands is 26ft (8m) high. The base of the statue can hold 150 people comfortably, and part of the ticket sales is given to IBAMA ( Brazilian Institute for the Environment ).

It took 9 years to construct the statue which was started in 1922, to the official opening on October 12th 1931, to mark the centenary of Brazil's independence. The total cost was $250,000 to complete, and the statue was suppose to be lit by a remote triggered battery of flood lights from short wave radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi, stationed 5,700 miles (9,200km ) away in Rome. Due to very poor weather conditions affecting the signal, it had to be lit by local workers in Rio.

In October of 2006, on the statues 75th anniversary, Archbishop of Rio, Cardinal Eusebio Oscar Scheid consecrated a chapel'(named for the patron saint of Brazil- Nossa Senhora Aparecida ) under the statue. This now allows people of the catholic religion to have weddings and baptisms there.

There are different ways to get to the monument.
hiking, car, or by the scenic ride on the cog train, which passes through the dense Atlantic Rainforest. The train was originally built in 1882 by Dom Pedroll, but the current swiss train dates from 1979. No vehicles are permitted to the top of the summit, so you will have to take one of the small tour buses to the base of the 222 steps if walking, or 14 person escalator, or elevaters they have since 2005.The small two minute bus ride to the summit is were IBAMA gets there portion of the ticket sales.

So come to Rio and see one of the new seven wonders of the world for yourself. Youll be glad you did.

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