Statue Of Christ Gets $4m Facelift

“The iconic statue of Christ with outstretched arms that overlooks Rio de Janeiro is getting a $4 million renovation. Heavy rains have eroded portions of the face and hands of the statue. It has also been damaged by lightning strikes over the years. Workers this week started replacing large pieces of the statue’s soapstone exterior and patching up a layer of concrete underneath. They expect to be done by June. The Rio archdiocese that manages the statue says donations will pay for the repairs.” w/ photos. LINK

Perched atop a mountain above Rio's white-sand beaches, the 38-meter (125 foot) statue was inaugurated in 1931.

It was designed by local engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and created by French sculptor Paul Landowski.

Amazing moment the world's biggest Christ was struck by lightning

Heavens above: The statue is struck during Sunday's storms:


At 00:34am on 13th February 2008
This was the dramatic scene as the world's largest statue of Jesus was hit by lightning.
The bolt parted the thunderclouds over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to strike Christ the Redeemer.
The statue is 130ft tall, is made of 700 tons of reinforced concrete and stands atop the 2,296ft Corcovado mountain overlooking the city.
It was named one of the new Seven Wonders of the World in 2007.
Sunday's storm caused havoc in Rio, felling trees in several neighbourhoods - but did not damage the statue.

This amazing photograph gives whole new meaning to the phrase "May God strike me with lightning if..." LINK