How did Rio’s “Christ the Redeemer” statue get there?

…in the early 20th century a local group in Rio called the Catholic Circle saw a need to reclaim the city for Christ.

“In the wake of World War One, [Catholic Circle] feared an advancing tide of godlessness. Church and state had been separated when Brazil became a republic at the end of the previous century, and they saw the statue as a way of reclaiming Rio – then Brazil’s capital city – for Christianity.…”

A host of workers started construction on the massive statue in 1922 and completed it in 1931. It was built using metal scaffolding and cranes with the materials being carried up the mountain by railway.

The statue was officially opened to visitors on October 12, 1931…Philip Kosloski