Christ the Redeemer (Corcovado)

Christ the Redeemer is the 30 m statue of Jesus on the summit of Corcovado, about 700 m above Rio de Janeiro in Tijuca National Park, Brazil. The rack railway from Cosme Velho or the official vans from Paineiras take visitors up to the platform, and the round trip takes two to three hours on a clear day.

The statue stands on the granite peak of Corcovado, about 700 metres above the city, inside Tijuca National Park, a protected forest inside the city. The Catholic priest Pedro Maria Boss first proposed a religious monument on the mountain in the mid-1850s, and in 1920 the Catholic Circle of Rio revived the idea, collecting donations mostly from Brazilian Catholics.

The Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa designed the statue with the artist Carlos Oswald. The French sculptor Paul Landowski modelled the figure, the Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida shaped the face, and the French engineer Albert Caquot helped with the structure. Work ran from 1922 to 1931, and the statue was dedicated on 12 October 1931. It was named one of the New 7 Wonders in July 2007.

The figure is built of reinforced concrete, which Caquot favoured for its strength, and covered with an outer layer of soapstone. Its height on the summit makes it a frequent lightning target. A strike in February 2008 damaged the fingers, head and eyebrows, and another in January 2014 knocked off a finger on the right hand, so the statue needs regular repair work.

Under the pedestal, a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil, was consecrated in October 2006. The platform around the statue looks south over Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, Ipanema and Leblon, east to Sugarloaf Mountain and Guanabara Bay, and north across the city centre and Maracanã stadium. At night the statue is floodlit and can be seen from much of the city.

Entry is included in the ticket for the route you take up: the Corcovado rack railway from Cosme Velho, official vans from Paineiras and other points, or the steep hiking trail from Parque Lage, which needs a separate entry fee at the top. Private cars cannot drive to the summit. Check the weather before buying, as cloud often covers the statue; early morning and late afternoon bring clearer views and fewer people. Plan on two to three hours for the round trip.

Trains and vans run from 8:00, with the last train around 18:00, and service can stop in bad weather. The Corcovado Train station is at Rua Cosme Velho 513, reached by taxi, ride-hail or city bus; the nearest metro stop is Largo do Machado on Lines 1 and 2, a short taxi ride away. Lifts and escalators connect the drop-off with the statue, so the summit platform is accessible, though crowds make it hard to move at peak times. The clearest skies come from April to June and from August to October.

The Corcovado rack railway has run since 1884, which makes it Brazil's oldest tourist railway; it climbs from Cosme Velho station through Tijuca National Park to the statue, and the train ticket includes entry to the monument. The adult fare is R$139 for any nationality, children aged 7 to 11 pay R$112, and the R$74 senior fare for over-60s applies only to Brazilians and foreign residents.