Cristo Bendicente, Religious statue in Yerba Buena, Argentina.
Cristo Bendicente is a large white marble statue standing at the summit of Cerro San Javier, a mountain above Yerba Buena in Tucumán province. The figure has one arm raised in a blessing gesture and can be seen from much of the valley below.
The statue was inaugurated in 1942, during the governorship of Miguel Critto, as part of a broader effort to develop the Cerro San Javier area. Over the following decades it became one of the most recognized landmarks in the Tucumán region.
At the base of the statue, a biblical inscription from the Gospel of Luke expresses a prayer of blessing over the land below. Visitors of many backgrounds stop here, some in prayer, others simply to take in the view over Yerba Buena and the valley.
The statue is reached by mountain roads that wind up Cerro San Javier, with parking available near the summit. A visit during daylight hours in dry weather is advisable, as the road can become difficult to follow in fog or rain.
The sculptor Juan Carlos Iramain, who designed and built the statue, is buried directly beneath it. This makes the site one of the few places in Argentina where a monument also serves as the tomb of its own creator.
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