 |
| Nereyda Bean, Fantasia in the Sambódromo |
Last night, The Beans enjoyed Brazilian carnival in the Sambódromo of Rio. Nereyda Bean was chosen as a new Fantasia Girl by the crowd and she could participate in the parade dancing over a carriage.
After a great party, this morning, the family has visited Christ The Redeemer, perhaps, the most important symbol of Rio de Janeiro and one of the most popular monuments around the world because it is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
More information: New Seven Wonders of the World
It has been a special visit for Antonio Bean, because he's a deep religious man; for Manuel Bean, who is a professional climber and has had the opportunity of climbing up to the top of the statue; and for Nereyda Bean, who is fear to heights and has suffered a little.
 |
| Manuel Bean on the top of Christ the Redeemer |
The rest of the family has preferred to stay on the ground, taking photos and listening how The Grandma explained her personal memories about Rio in the past and how Carol Bean explained her ones in the present. It has been a wonderful experience.
Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by the Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, in collaboration with the French engineer Albert Caquot. Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida fashioned the face. Constructed between 1922 and 1931, the statue is 30 metres tall, excluding its 8-metre pedestal. The arms stretch 28 metres wide.
More information: Mental Floss
The statue weighs 635 metric tons, and is located at the peak of the 700-metre Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro. A symbol of Christianity across the world, the statue has also become a cultural icon of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil, and is listed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone.
 |
| Antonio Bean's selfie with Christ the Redeemer |
Vincentian priest, Pedro Maria Boss, first suggested placing a Christian monument on Mount Corcovado in the mid 1850s to honor Princess Isabel, princess regent of Brazil and the daughter of Emperor Pedro II, however the project died due to lack of support.
In 1889 the country became a republic, and due to the separation of church and state, the idea of the statue was dismissed. The Catholic Circle of Rio made a second proposal for a landmark statue on the mountain in 1920. The group organized an event called Semana do Monumento to attract donations and collect signatures to support the building of the statue.
In 1889 the country became a republic, and due to the separation of church and state, the idea of the statue was dismissed. The Catholic Circle of Rio made a second proposal for a landmark statue on the mountain in 1920. The group organized an event called Semana do Monumento to attract donations and collect signatures to support the building of the statue.
What motivated the organization was what they perceived as 'Godlessness' in the society at the time. The donations came mostly from Brazilian Catholics. The designs considered for the Statue of the Christ included a representation of the Christian cross, a statue of Jesus with a globe in his hands, and a pedestal symbolizing the world. The statue of Christ the Redeemer with open arms, a symbol of peace, was chosen.
 |
| Old memories of Rio de Janeiro (1920's & 1930's) |
In 1922, Landowski commissioned fellow Parisian Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida, who studied sculpture at the Fine Arts Conservatory in Bucharest and in Italy. Leonida's portrayal of Christ's face made him famous.
A group of engineers and technicians studied Landowski's submissions and felt building the structure of reinforced concrete, designed by Albert Caquot, instead of steel was more suitable for the cross-shaped statue.
The outer layers are soapstone, chosen for its enduring qualities and ease of use. Construction took nine years, from 1922 to 1931 and cost the equivalent to $3,400,000 in 2018 and the monument opened on October 12, 1931. During the opening ceremony, the statue was to be lit by a battery of floodlights turned on remotely by Italian shortwave radio inventor Guglielmo Marconi, stationed 9,200 km away in Rome but because of bad weather, the lights were activated on-site.
More information: Daily Mail
Corcovado is a mountain in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 710-metre granite peak is located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park.
 |
| Aerial view of The Beans and Christ the Redeemer |
The peak and statue can be accessed via a narrow road, by the 3.8 kilometre Corcovado Rack Railway, which was opened in 1884 and refurbished in 1980, or by the walking trail on the south side of the mountain that starts from Parque Lage.
The railway uses three electrically powered trains, with a passenger capacity of 540 passengers per hour. The rail trip takes approximately 20 minutes and departs every 20 minutes. Due to its limited passenger capacity, the wait to board at the entry station can take several hours.
From the train terminus and road, the observation deck at the foot of the statue is reached by 223 steps, or by elevators and escalators. Among the most popular year-round tourist attractions in Rio, the Corcovado railway, access roads, and statue platform are commonly crowded.
More information: Visit Rio
It is good to be tired and wearied by the futile search after the true good, that we may stretch out our arms to the Redeemer.
Blaise Pascal
No comments:
Post a Comment