Taking Jesus Christ Superstar to a whole new level, literally. (via Guardian)
An almighty statue of a crowned Jesus Christ is being erected in Swiebodzin, Poland. Standing at more than 100 feet tall and erected in a similar design to the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, it will be the world’s grandest statue of Jesus.
The body of the statue is 33 meters high, each meter representing a year of Jesus’ life, while the crown perched on his head measures three additional meters. (The All-TIME Incredibly Large Statues.)
Despite Poland’s historic faith and following of the Catholic Church, the community has become divided, leading to charges of megalomania against the Catholic church. When a crane attempting to place the statue’s head collapsed, the head fell and crushed a builder’s foot. Many deriders believe this mishap is a sign from God and are calling for the statue to be dismantled.
Even the chief building inspector has received threats, including a brick thrown through his car window. (More at TIME: Defying the Vatican, Catholic Women Claim Priesthood.)
The monument is five years in the making and was originally designed as a small garden sculpture. Statue supporters, led by local priest Sylwester Zawadzki hope that the monument to Christ will show religious piety, encourage pilgrimages and attract tourism. However, building experts have voiced concerns that the statue’s foundations are not up to standard. “We’ll give it 20 years, maximum, then it’ll fall apart,” a building expert told Polish media.
One thing’s for sure: Jesus really is larger than life.