Cristo Redentore, Colossal statue of Jesus on Mount San Biagio, Maratea, Italy
The Cristo Redentore is a colossal robed figure with arms outstretched horizontally, palms open, standing on the highest point of Mount San Biagio above Maratea. It rises 21.13 metres from bare earth without a pedestal, its left foot visible from the tunic, and its outer mantle about 20 centimetres thick is reinforced concrete mixed with flakes of Seravezza marble. The head measures 3 metres and the arm span about 19 metres.
Count Stefano Rivetti proposed replacing the summit cross with a monument to Christ in a letter of 5 September 1961; the project was entrusted to Bruno Innocenti from 1957, with the first sketches in 1960. The cross, erected in 1907 to mark a French siege of 1806, was dismantled in September 1963 and rebuilt elsewhere. The statue was completed in 1965 without an inauguration ceremony.
The statue portrays Jesus with short hair and a subtle beard, which sets it apart from other famous representations. The left leg steps forward slightly, giving the figure a sense of movement and vitality.
The statue is reachable via a winding road and parking area, where a shuttle bus then takes visitors to the mountaintop near the Basilica of San Biagio. The ascent requires no special equipment, but wearing sturdy shoes and bringing water is advisable.
The statue has no pedestal: it rises directly from the bare rock, and the left foot emerges from the tunic. Behind it a belvedere looks over much of the Maratea coast, and a small plaque with a Latin epitaph sits right under the statue's shoulders.
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