It is located in Almada, municipality and district of Lisbon, central Portugal
The Sanctuary of Christ the King is a Catholic monument and sanctuary dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ overlooking the city of Lisbon.
The Sanctuary of Christ the King was inspired by the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil after the visit of the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon to that monument.
The project was inaugurated on May 17, 1959, while Portugal was governed by the authoritarianism of the President of the Council of Ministers António de Oliveira Salazar gave his final authorization to the project.
The giant cement statue was erected to express gratitude because the Portuguese were spared the effects of World War II.
The construction of the monument to Christ the King was approved at a Conference of the Portuguese Episcopate, held in Fátima on April 20, 1940, as an appeal to God to free Portugal from entering the Second World War.
The monument was erected on the top of an isolated cliff 133 m above the sea, overlooking the left bank of the Tagus River, it was built in the parish of Pragal which merged with the parishes of Almada, Cova da Piedade, Pragal and Cacilhas in 2013, becoming the municipality of Almada.
Cristo Rei is the highest point in Almada on a plateau dominated by the 25 de Abril Bridge and close to the Pumping Station and the Pragal Reservoir, and is accessible from Lisbon by car (via the 25 de Abril Bridge to the east of the intersection), by train passing through the Pragal station and by ferry (the Cacilheiro) over the Tagus through the port of Cacilhas in Almada.
The monument consists of an 82-metre (269 ft) high trapezoidal pedestal, formed by four arches and a flat platform, supporting the 28-metre (92 ft) image of Christ.
Its base was designed by architect António Lino in the shape of a gate, while the statue of Christ the King was designed by sculptor Francisco Franco de Sousa, the four arches of the pedestal are oriented in the directions of the compass rose.
The figure of Christ, comparable to the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, forms a cross, with outstretched arms facing the city of Lisbon as if embracing it. For safety and protection reasons, the monument was sufficiently removed from the cliffs where it predominates.
At the base of the statue is the 82-meter (269-foot) viewpoint that allows panoramic views of the city of Lisbon, the Tagus River and the 25 de Abril Bridge.
Under the statue, occupying one-fifth of the height of the pedestal, is the Chapel of Our Lady of Peace (Our Lady of Peace) with an entrance on the north façade.
This space is distinctly different with its stone masonry, the northern facade topped with a cross and the other facades containing narrow doorways.
Inside two of the pillars there is an elevator system with access to the terrace, the statue is 79.30 meters high and overlooks the Tagus (192 meters above the river).
To the south of the monument is the Sanctuary building, made up of a rectangular body with three wings, with facades covered in masonry brick.
In 1987 there was a plan to build 18 different buildings and spaces around the monument (including a restaurant, observation decks, a shopping complex, a parking area and a sanctuary), of which only a few of these structures were built.
The interior of the monument is divided into several spaces, including a library, a bar, two halls and the main chapel. two religious spaces were dedicated, one to the Chapel of Our Lady of Peace and the other to the Chapel of the Confidants of Jesus, there are relics exposed for public veneration (of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Saint John Eudes, Saint Faustina Kowalska and Mary Most Holy of the Divine Heart) relating to the revelations of the Sacred Heart of Jesus).
The Sanctuary of Christ the King was inspired by the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil after the visit of the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon to that monument.
The project was inaugurated on May 17, 1959, while Portugal was governed by the authoritarianism of the President of the Council of Ministers António de Oliveira Salazar gave his final authorization to the project.
The giant cement statue was erected to express gratitude because the Portuguese were spared the effects of World War II.
The construction of the monument to Christ the King was approved at a Conference of the Portuguese Episcopate, held in Fátima on April 20, 1940, as an appeal to God to free Portugal from entering the Second World War.
The monument was erected on the top of an isolated cliff 133 m above the sea, overlooking the left bank of the Tagus River, it was built in the parish of Pragal which merged with the parishes of Almada, Cova da Piedade, Pragal and Cacilhas in 2013, becoming the municipality of Almada.
Cristo Rei is the highest point in Almada on a plateau dominated by the 25 de Abril Bridge and close to the Pumping Station and the Pragal Reservoir, and is accessible from Lisbon by car (via the 25 de Abril Bridge to the east of the intersection), by train passing through the Pragal station and by ferry (the Cacilheiro) over the Tagus through the port of Cacilhas in Almada.
The monument consists of an 82-metre (269 ft) high trapezoidal pedestal, formed by four arches and a flat platform, supporting the 28-metre (92 ft) image of Christ.
Its base was designed by architect António Lino in the shape of a gate, while the statue of Christ the King was designed by sculptor Francisco Franco de Sousa, the four arches of the pedestal are oriented in the directions of the compass rose.
The figure of Christ, comparable to the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, forms a cross, with outstretched arms facing the city of Lisbon as if embracing it. For safety and protection reasons, the monument was sufficiently removed from the cliffs where it predominates.
At the base of the statue is the 82-meter (269-foot) viewpoint that allows panoramic views of the city of Lisbon, the Tagus River and the 25 de Abril Bridge.
Under the statue, occupying one-fifth of the height of the pedestal, is the Chapel of Our Lady of Peace (Our Lady of Peace) with an entrance on the north façade.
This space is distinctly different with its stone masonry, the northern facade topped with a cross and the other facades containing narrow doorways.
Inside two of the pillars there is an elevator system with access to the terrace, the statue is 79.30 meters high and overlooks the Tagus (192 meters above the river).
To the south of the monument is the Sanctuary building, made up of a rectangular body with three wings, with facades covered in masonry brick.
In 1987 there was a plan to build 18 different buildings and spaces around the monument (including a restaurant, observation decks, a shopping complex, a parking area and a sanctuary), of which only a few of these structures were built.
The interior of the monument is divided into several spaces, including a library, a bar, two halls and the main chapel. two religious spaces were dedicated, one to the Chapel of Our Lady of Peace and the other to the Chapel of the Confidants of Jesus, there are relics exposed for public veneration (of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Saint John Eudes, Saint Faustina Kowalska and Mary Most Holy of the Divine Heart) relating to the revelations of the Sacred Heart of Jesus).
