Christ the Redeemer

Cristo Redentor, Christ the Redeemer, is a 30-metre Art Deco statue on the summit of Corcovado, 38 metres including the pedestal, and has stood as the symbol of Rio de Janeiro since its inauguration in 1931. The design came from French-Polish sculptor Paul Landowski, while the engineering was handled by Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa, who clad the prefabricated French stick-cross in an outer skin of shimmering Limhamn soapstone from southern Sweden. Inside the eight-metre pedestal is a small Catholic chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Aparecida, where weddings can be held. Today you reach the plateau by the historic cog railway from Cosme Velho, by shuttle from Paineiras or on foot through the Tijuca rainforest. Arrive early and the base is almost yours alone; in the afternoon you stand shoulder to shoulder with arms outstretched.