Recently, Brazil has the won privilege of hosting one of the seven wonders of the modern world. This worldwide known monument was designed more than seventy-five years ago and marks an interesting time in history. The idea of building a Christ in the former capital of Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) has been known since the nineteenth century, when a Priest brought up the idea to the Princess of Brazil at the time.
However the project only became popular in the early 1920s, when the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Brazilian independence approached. After a lot of political meetings, the Corcovado Mountain was finally chosen to host the sacred image. The cost of this project , in todays value, was worth about five million dollars which were mostly collected from fundraising campaigns. In addition to financial contribution, the implementation of the statue also required the efforts of thousands of volunteer workers and designers excited about this great achievement.
The first design of the statue, was Christ carrying a cross with a globe in one of his hands. However, the idea of Christ with open arms was better approved by the residents of Rio de Janeiro who believed it symbolized a welcoming to tourists. The outer layer of the statue is covered by soapstone, which can withstand the storms caused by rapid climate change in the region. In fact, in February of 2008, during a violent storm, the statue was struck by lightning but was left unscratched because of layer of soapstone that acts as an insulator.
