Sanctuary of Christ the King, Catholic monument in Almada, Portugal.
The Sanctuary of Christ the King stands on a clifftop 133 m above the Tagus in Pragal, Almada. Its trapezoidal pedestal, 82 m high and designed by António Lino as a gate with four arches, supports Francisco Franco de Sousa's 28 m statue of Christ with arms outstretched toward Lisbon. The pale stone figure wears a robe with wide sleeves and a pleated skirt, and a circular emblem with a radiating heart pattern on the chest.
Bishops pledged its erection to express thanks that Portugal was spared in the war. Work began in 1949 and ended a decade later.
The figure carries the title Christ the King after a Catholic feast established in the early twentieth century. Believers come to the chapel at the base for services and private devotion.
The monument stands on an isolated clifftop 133 m above the Tagus in Pragal, Almada, reached by car over the 25 de Abril Bridge, by train to Pragal station or by the Cacilheiro ferry to Cacilhas. An elevator lifts visitors to the viewing platform in the pedestal, facing Lisbon and the bridge. The site is open daily.
The architect had visited the statue in Brazil and used similar proportions for head and hands. The project was also meant to strengthen the importance of the southern shore beyond the traditional Lisbon core.
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