A City in Brazil Is Building a Statue of Jesus That’s Even Taller Than Rio de Janeiro’s

One of the most famous statues of Jesus Rio de Janeiro’s towering Christ the Redeemer has some new competition. An even taller statue is currently under construction in Brazil, titled Christ the Protector.

The statue, also depicting Jesus Christ with arms outstretched as if on the cross, will stand more than 140 feet tall, with a wingspan of more than 90 feet wide. It is the work of sculptor Genésio Gomes Moura and his son Markus and was financed by the Friends of Christ Association.

The Protector statue is located in the distant city of Encantado, in southern Brazil, which is currently home to the world’s third-tallest statue of Jesus Christ in the world. (In Mexico, a statue is in the works that will stand at 249 feet tall, and a 172-foot statue exists in Poland, according to designboom.)

The hands and head of the Protector statue were installed earlier this month, and construction images show that the scaffolding supports will be reinforced with concrete.

Christ the Redeemer was voted one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World.” For last year’s Easter Sunday, the statue was lit up with an image of a doctor’s uniform to honor front-line health workers and words of gratitude and prayer.

Here are a few pictures of the statue:

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