During the year 2020, the 60th anniversary since Christ was found on the banks of the Tagus River, taking care of the city of Lisbon.
Inaugurated on May 17, 1959, with the assistance of the Portuguese Episcopate, the Cardinals of Rio de Janeiro and approximately 300 thousand people. according to textual words „This is always a sign of national recognition for the gift of peace.“
The construction of the monument took 10 years, and approximately 40 thousand tons of concrete were used. The figure was sculpted by hand in the structure itself and as a curious fact it is said that the outbreak of the Second World War ended up driving the desire to finally build the Cristo Rei. where the church agreed that if Portugal were saved from war, a Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus would rise above Lisbon, a visible sign of how God, through Love, wishes to conquer all humanity for Himself.
The Christ the King rises 215 meters above sea level and has a total height of 110 meters. The sculpture’s supporting structure is 82 meters high and the statue is 28 meters. The Statue of Christ the Redeemer is 38 meters high (the statue is 30 meters and the pedestal 8 meters.
The Sanctuary of Cristo Rei, mirror of a strong devotion to Christ and, in particular, to his Sacred Heart, forms, together with Fátima and Santiago de Compostela, the „golden triangle“ of the pilgrims in the Iberian Peninsula.