THE CHRIST OF HAVANA. Video. + EL CRISTO DE LA HABANA. Video.
The Christ of Havana is a colossal sculpture of the Sacred Heart of Jesús made of Carrara marble, a work by Cuban sculptor Jilma Madera. The marble in the statue is the same as the one used in the monuments of Colón Cemetery in Havana. The image is about 20 meters high and rests on a base of three meters in which its creator buried diverse objects of the time. Its approximate weight is about 320 tons. The statue consists of 67 pieces that were brought from Italy, since it was sculpted in Rome and there blessed by Pope Pius XII.
As the sculptor expressed “I presented my sketch and I won my commission. I had built the figure of Christ, the man, but not the mystic one of Catholicism… although I have never professed the catholic religion; I have always admitted to be a Christian, but if people were truly Christian, I am sure everything would be better’’.
The sculpture was firstly made in Cuba and then in Italy. First of all, Jilma made a model of plaster with all its proportions. Then, in order to have a good material to work with it was necessary to transfer it to Carrara, Toscana’s province, Italy, where the world’s finest statuary marbles are found.
The monument is made up of seventy-seven pieces, which were perfectly transferred in wooden crates. The assembly of the sculpture started on September 3, 1958 and finished on December 24, 1958.
The image, located in the village of Casablanca, in the municipality of Regla, was located on the hill of La Cabaña on December 24, Christmas Eve, 1958. Only a fortnight after his inauguration on January 8, 1959 Fidel Castro entered Havana after overthrow the government of Fulgencio Batista by the Cuban Revolution.
The sculpture is 51 meters above sea level, allowing habaneros see the sculpture from many parts of the city; the figure of Christ is standing with one hand raised in blessing and the other in the chest facing the city, this work is left empty eyes that give the impression of looking at everyone everywhere it was observed . From the site of Christ of Havana a view of the entire city of Havana is appreciated.
Agencies/OLTBarcelona/Youtube/Internet Photos/thecubanhistory.com
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