Cristo-Rei
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Cristo-Rei (translation: Christ the King) is a Catholic monument overlooking Lisbon, capital of Portugal. It was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and inaugurated on May 17, 1959. In that time Portugal was being ruled by the dictator António de Oliveira Salazar, and it was by his command that the Cristo-Rei was built.
The monument was built on the left-bank of the Tagus river, facing Lisbon on the other bank. Its location is at coordinates 38º40'43" N 9º10'17" W, in parish of Pragal, municipality of Almada.
The base of the monument, by architect António Lino, is in the form of a gate, standing 75 m (246 ft) tall. At the top is a statue of Christ the Redeemer, designed by sculptor Francisco Franco de Sousa, 28 m (92 ft)-tall. At the base of the statue is an observation deck (altitude: 184 m / 604 ft) providing panoramic views of Lisbon and of the 25 de Abril Bridge, which is located to its immediate left.
The construction of Cristo-Rei was approved on a Portuguese Episcopate conference, held in Fátima on April 20, 1940, as a plea to God to release Portugal from entering World War II. However, the idea had originated on a visit by the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro in 1934, soon after the inauguration of the statue of Christ the Redeemer on 1931.
Construction started in 1950 and took nine years to complete. It was funded by public subscription.
