Tallest Jesus statue - Christ the King Monument sets world record
SWIEBODZIN, Poland--Workers in Poland finished erecting a 33m (108ft) statue of Jesus Christ, one metre for every year that Jesus lived, according to creator Reverend Sylwester Zawadzki, 78; with its gold crown, the white landmark is 36m (118ft) tall, and if the mound it stands on is also taken into account, it measures 51m (167ft); it sets
the new world record for the Tallest Jesus statue. Photo: The World's Tallest Jesus statue rises above the western Polish plains in Swiebodzin; it is 35.97m tall, topped by a 3.4m-tall crown of thorns, has an armspan of 24.07m, and weighs 362.87 tonnes.The town's mayor, Dariusz Bekisz, said it was now the world's tallest.
(enlarge photo)
Brazil's famous Christ the Redeemer statue, the previous Guiness world record holder, stands at 39.6m (130ft).
Made of plaster and fiberglass and weighing about 440 tonnes, its construction took five years.
The supporters of the project say the statue would attract pilgrims to the city, while their opponents accused the church of megalomania and said the costly project has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
The $1.5 million statue was built using private donations from residents of the 21,000-strong town, and designed by priest Sylvester Zawadzki.
"I have never been as happy as I am today," said Father Zawadzki, who is called 'the builder priest' by the people of Swiebodzin after building two churches, this statue, and several other buildings in the town. "This is the culmination of my life's work as a priest. I felt inspired to fulfill Jesus' will, and today I give thanks to him for allowing me to fulfill his will," Father Zawadzki said after the head was attached by a 700-ton crane.
Though the statue will not officially be consecrated until 21 November, work on it was completed over the weekend, including the difficult task of attaching the head to the rest of the body.
Construction of the statue was hampered by strong winds, an accident in which the head fell and crushed a builder's foot and the priest suffering a heart attack.
The height of the plaster and fiberglass Polish statue surpasses the 40.4-meter (133-foot) Cristo de la Concordia in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and the 39.6-meter (130-foot) Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Guinness World record for the Largest statue of Virgin Mary was set by a 32.8m high statue built in town of Haskovo, Bulgaria; it's 15m long and weight 80 tons.
Guinness World Records also recognized the world's largest Buddha statue carved out of a single tree is the statue of Maitreya in the Lama temple in Beijing, carved out of a single white sandalwood tree, 26 metres high.