ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 13, 2023 / 16:00 pm
On Resurrection Sunday, April 9, the Christ of Peace statue was dedicated in Tabasco county in Zacatecas state, Mexico. The monumental sculpture which sits atop a pedestal measures 108 feet high, which makes it the largest of its kind in the country.
The statue stands in the center of the esplanade atop “Faith and Religion Hill.”
Present at the dedication were the governor of Zacatecas state, David Monreal Ávila; the president of Tabasco county, Gil Martínez; and the pastor of the Church of the Immaculate Conception in the town of Tabasco, Father Luis Manuel Luévano Díaz.
According to the Christ of Peace Facebook page, the priest blessed the sculpture and gave a message of faith and hope to the thousands of faithful present.
The governor of Zacatecas said on Facebook that “this sculpture is the largest in Mexico. I invite all of you to visit it and discover the wonders that Zacatecas offers.”
Esta tarde fue inaugurado el Cristo de la Paz en Tabasco. Esta escultura es la más grande de México y estoy seguro de...
Posted by David Monreal Avila on Sunday, April 9, 2023
In an interview with Reporte Índigo, Miguel Romo, the artist who created the statue, said it took more than two years to be completed.
“If you look, the face is very nicely done. The Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil is very beautiful, but it’s a bit geometrical, with its hands, face, and everything. Not me. I tend to be very realistic, and it’s very difficult at this scale; small scale is very easy, but on this scale it’s very difficult,” the artist explained.
The image was made with steel and various types of polymers. Inside the sculpture there is a staircase and four landings as well as lookouts for visitors.
The sculpture was named Christ of Peace because after its dedication its promoters want tranquility to come to the inhabitants of Zacatecas, a state plagued by organized crime violence.
Some claim that the Christ of Peace sculpture in Mexico is larger than the Christ the Redeemer in Brazil. However, the image in Rio de Janeiro is 98 feet tall with a 26-foot pedestal, whereas the one dedicated in Zacatecas is 98 feet tall with a 10-foot pedestal.
The tallest sculptures of Christ in the world
The largest sculpture of Jesus is that of Christ the King, located in Świebodzin, Poland, with a height of 118 feet, followed by the Christ of Concord in Cochabamba, Bolivia, at 112 feet.
Another image of Jesus that exceeds 98 feet in height is Christ the Redeemer of Tihuatlan in Veracruz state, Mexico, at 103 feet.
Currently, the Christ the Protector statue, which will measure 141 feet, is under construction in Brazil.
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This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
