Christ the King statue (Cali)
The Christ King in Cali ( Spanish : Cristo Rey en Cali ) is a 26 meter high statue of Christ on the "Crystal Hill " ( Cerro los Cristales ) west of the city of Santiago de Cali in Colombia . The name of the hill is derived from the large number of quartz crystals that were collected in the area. The reinforced concrete statue stands on a five meter high base at 1440 m above sea level. M. It weighs 464 tons. It was inaugurated on October 25, 1953 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of the Guerra de los Mil Días ("War of the 1,000 Days").
Building history
The Jesuit Father José María Arteaga commissioned the artist Gerardo Palmirano Navia Carvajal to build the statue. After he had created a model, he gave up the project. Father Arteaga contacted the Italian sculptor Alideo Tazzioli Fontanini from Pietrasanta with the model , who accepted the order on condition that he could create a new model. Fontanini moved his art studio near San Antonio. When the new model was finished, his brother Adelindo carried out the static calculations. Work on the hill began with the cement platform. A huge wooden frame was erected on top. Alideo visited the site daily to oversee the work and to urge the workers to hurry. After almost four years of work, the work was completed. The Jesuit newsletter said, among other things, that the total cost was 170,000 pesos . Around 30,000 people took part in the inauguration ceremony.
Gómez 'religious sculpture and tourism
On the way to the hill with the Christ statue you can look at the reliefs of the artist Carlos Andrés Gómez. In two years of work, Gómez created figures that are spread over 34 "gorges" and stretch over five kilometers. In the first ravine, “existence” can be seen, a homage to life. In the second one can see a man complaining about the Pacha Mama (mother nature): a protest against the destruction of the environment. The third shows life after Golgotha , where the believers can be accompanied on a pilgrimage up to Easter . In the fourth gorge, the " Garden of Eden " is shown.
The figures are made of concrete and clay, 50 centimeters to five meters high. After the contemplative walk, the rest of the way to Christ is completely paved and in good condition.
Access to the monument is free. The facility is monitored by the police from eight in the morning to eleven in the evening. A restaurant and parking spaces are available. The facility is currently visited by around 300,000 tourists annually. The statue is considered to be one of the wonders of modern Colombia.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Monumento a Cristo Rey en Cali (Absolut Colombia)
- ↑ Cristo Rey (Alcaldía de Santiago de Cali)
- ^ Gustavo Sánchez Galindo: Cristo Rey quedó inmaculado, gracias a restauración impulsada por la Alcaldía. Alcaldía de Santiago de Cali, March 5, 2015, accessed April 20, 2018 (Spanish).
- ^ Richard Lenis Quintero, "Crónica de la construcción del Cristo Rey en Cali". La Gaceta (El País) (Cali), August 27, 2006.
- ^ El Tiempo Online, “Cristo Rey les abre sus brazos a los turistas” , by William López, December 12, 2012, accessed on March 1, 2014.
Coordinates: 3 ° 15 ′ 40 " N , 76 ° 20 ′ 7.6" W.