Christ the Redeemer of the Andes
Cristo Redentor de los Andes | |
 Christ the Redeemer of the Andes, photographed in 2005. | |
 | |
| Location | Uspallata Pass, on the frontier between Argentina and Chile |
|---|---|
| Designer | Mateo Alonso |
| Material | bronze |
Christ the Redeemer of the Andes (
. It was unveiled on 13 March 1904 to celebrate the peaceful resolution of the border dispute between the two countries.The Christ of the Andes, a symbol of eternal peace, is commonly believed to have been made from war cannons, though some historians regard this as doubtful.[1] Engraved at the feet in Spanish are the words, "Sooner shall these mountains crumble into dust than Chileans and Argentines break the peace which at the feet of Christ, the Redeemer, they have sworn to maintain."
The statue is located at the pass of
Construction
At the beginning of the 20th century,
As the countries slipped closer to war, Ángela Oliveira Cézar de Costa, a well-connected society lady who led a
A diplomatic breakthrough in May 1902 led Argentina and Chile to a peaceful agreement. The plan for the statue progressed, and Oliveira Cézar de Costa and Bishop Benavente prepared to move the statue to the pass of Cumbre del Bermejo, which José de San Martín had used in 1817 to cross the Andes and liberate Chile from Spanish colonial rule.
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In 1904, the Christ was moved in pieces 1,200 kilometers by train, then carried up the mountains by mule. The six-meter-high granite pedestal designed by Molina Civit was completed on 15 February 1904, and Alonso, the original sculptor, directed the piecing of the bronze statue. It was erected with the figure facing the border line, standing on a globe with South America prominent, his left hand holding a cross and his right raised in blessing.
Inauguration
On 13 March 1904, 3,000 Chileans and Argentines climbed to the summit despite the inhospitable conditions. They watched the two armies, only a short time before ready to do battle with one another, firing gun salutes together. President Roca of Argentina and President Germán Riesco of Chile could not attend. Still, their foreign ministers were present, along with the Archbishop of Buenos Aires and the bishops of Cuyo, Argentina and Ancud, Chile. Two plaques were unveiled celebrating the friendship between the two countries. One is inscribed (in Spanish) "Sooner shall these mountain crags crumble to dust than Chile and Argentina shall break this peace which at the feet of Christ the Redeemer they have sworn to maintain."[2]
Subsequent development
In 1916 the cross of the statue was remade, the original having succumbed to the difficult climate conditions. The original cross of bronze was made into commemorative medals. Various further plaques were added over the years. A major repair was undertaken by the Argentine
In 2004, the
Climate
Cristo Redentor has a dry-summer tundra climate (Köppen ETs) with virtually rainless summers and cold, snowy winters.
| Climate data for Cristo Redentor (1941–1960) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.0 (68.0) |
17.5 (63.5) |
14.9 (58.8) |
13.8 (56.8) |
10.9 (51.6) |
8.6 (47.5) |
6.8 (44.2) |
9.5 (49.1) |
10.0 (50.0) |
10.5 (50.9) |
13.1 (55.6) |
15.3 (59.5) |
20.0 (68.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 10.0 (50.0) |
9.8 (49.6) |
7.2 (45.0) |
3.4 (38.1) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
0.7 (33.3) |
4.5 (40.1) |
8.3 (46.9) |
2.7 (36.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.0 (39.2) |
3.7 (38.7) |
1.9 (35.4) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−7.1 (19.2) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
2.8 (37.0) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−9.8 (14.4) |
−11.0 (12.2) |
−10.4 (13.3) |
−8.9 (16.0) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
−5.5 (22.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −8.0 (17.6) |
−10.1 (13.8) |
−15.5 (4.1) |
−14.1 (6.6) |
−19.0 (−2.2) |
−21.3 (−6.3) |
−27.8 (−18.0) |
−22.3 (−8.1) |
−21.0 (−5.8) |
−18.0 (−0.4) |
−15.2 (4.6) |
−12.7 (9.1) |
−27.8 (−18.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 2 (0.1) |
2 (0.1) |
8 (0.3) |
9 (0.4) |
35 (1.4) |
62 (2.4) |
91 (3.6) |
47 (1.9) |
60 (2.4) |
43 (1.7) |
15 (0.6) |
7 (0.3) |
381 (15.0) |
| Average snowy days | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 70 |
| Average relative humidity (%)
|
57.0 | 54.5 | 54.0 | 56.5 | 57.5 | 59.0 | 55.5 | 57.0 | 58.0 | 64.5 | 59.0 | 56.0 | 57.4 |
| Source: Secretaria de Mineria,[3] LEV (precipitation data),[4] and UNLP (snowfall data)[5] | |||||||||||||
See also
- List of statues of Jesus
- Paso Libertadores
References
- ISBN 978-1-349-38109-8.
- ^ Bowman, Isaiah (1915). South America: A Geography Reader. Chicago: Rand McNally. p. 76.
- ^ "Provincia de Mendoza - Clima Y Meteorologia" [Mendoza Province - Climate and Weather] (in Spanish). Secretaria de Mineria de la Nacion (Argentina). Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
- ^ "Climate, weather, temperatures - City : CRISTO-REDENTOR". Levoyageur.
- ^ "Datos bioclimáticos de 173 localidades argentinas". Atlas Bioclimáticos (in Spanish). Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
External links
- (in Spanish) Christ the Redeemer and his two versions
- (in Spanish) Acto conmemoratorio con motivo de cumplirse 100 años de su inauguración (Commemorative Act to mark 100 years since its inauguration)