The Giant Jesus of the World!

Please realize that this blog post is not meant to be informational, although I do give some of the information I found. Mostly I’m making fun of the incessant need populations have to create giant stone replicas of Jesus. So be prepared. If you’re die-hard Christian and have no sense of humor, you may be offended.

Giant Jesus (the one that inspired me) in Monroe, OH at the Solid Rock Church, outside of Cincinatti. Made of fiberglass and styrofoam (yes, styrofoam) over metal, completed in 2004. A few interesting antecdotes: 75% of the citizens of Monroe think this giant Jesus is an eyesore and bad for Monroe. Some of them call him “Drowning Jesus.” Ha.

Made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) sits atop Corcovado in Rio, Brazil. It is 120 feet tall and 98 feet wide. Constructed in 1931, it was first thought of way back in the 1880’s, and became one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2006.

At 132 ft tall with a wingspan (I mean arm span) of 108 ft, Cristo de la Concordia in Bolivia is the largest statue of Jesus in the world. What an accomplishment! It was completed in 1994 and made of steel and concrete. Yet, although it is larger than the statue it was modeled upon (Cristo Redentor), it was passed over as a New World Wonder. Hmmm... Copy cat much?

Erected after Jesus came to the town’s mayor in a dream and told him to build the statue, this Giant Jesus is sadly no more. Not long after being constructed, one of Jesus’s fingers snapped off and toppled to the ground. One by one his fingers broke off and bit the dust. There stood the fingerless Jesus (can you see his left hand? Fingerless!), clutching on to all dignity until one day his whole arm torpedoed into the bustling square. After that, Giant Jesus was taken down. Let us all take a moment to pay our respects.

In Eureka Springs, Arkansas, it was once thought of to build a Christian-themed theme park. Enter the 70 ft, 2 million pound Jesus! It was erected in 1966 of white concrete. The park was never completed, so now Jesus stands alone on a hilltop, peering down on Eureka Springs. Poor guy, he’s a baby compared to the mammoth Jesus statues of Brazil and Bolivia.

Built privately in a housing complex that is predominantly Christian, this Jesus stands (or flies?) 105 feet tall, built of metal fiber and steel. It is the tallest Jesus statue in Asia. Is it just me, or does it look like he’s jumping down from the heavens to attack us? It was constructed privately, not by a church or city or something, and that it is located in Indonesia, which is predominantly Muslim. Long live!

Couldn’t find much information on this statue. But I can just imagine the speech bubble above his head: “Whoa, whoa, calm down, put down the crosses." :P

He’s drowning! Someone help him! This 8.5 foot tall Jesus isn’t impressive because of his height. No, he’s impressive (if any of these are really impressive) because he is located 6 miles off of the coast of Key Largo, 25 feet under water. He weights 4000 lbs (diet, perhaps, Jesus? :P) and is a favorite “sight” for scuba divers. Interesting note: The statue is a second casting of “Il Cristo Degli Abissi” in the Mediterranean Sea near Genoa, Italy, which was placed there in 1954. The Christ of the Abyss was donated to the Underwater Society of America in 1961 and placed in its current location in 1965. In their current positions, the two statues face each other.

And last but not least: What I think is perhaps the most important Jesus replica of all time: Lego Jesus!

Unveiled for Easter 2009 by a church in Sweden, this Jesus replica is constructed of over 30,000 white Lego pieces. It took 40 volunteers 18 months to complete. It stands only 5 feet 8 inches tall, but hey, that’s taller than me! Now this is something I could bow down before. Well, maybe.

These are not by any means the only Giant Jesuses of the world. These are just the ones I found most interesting and most odd. Plus, if I listed all of them, this blog would be about 10 pages long (if this were on paper, that is). Hope you enjoyed!