Row erupts in Spain over plans to build huge Jesus statue outside Madrid – seven metres taller than Rio’s Christ the Redeemer

CONTROVERSIAL plans to build the world’s tallest statue of Jesus Christ have split a small town outside Madrid after the local council approved plans for a ‘new beacon of religious devotion’. 

A group of Catholic churchgoers in Boadilla del Monte, a modest municipality to the west of Madrid, are attempting to transform their hometown into a place of ‘world pilgrimage’ by constructing a 37-metre-high and 60-metre-wide statue of Christ.

The proposed monument would dwarf current depictions of the central figure of Christianity – the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and one of the seven wonders of the modern world stands at 30m high, while the current tallest sculpture of Christ in Swiebodzin, Poland, extends vertically to 33m.

The campaign to build the installation has been spearheaded by the Asociación Civil de Devotos del Corazón de Jesús de Boadilla (‘The Boadilla Civil Association of Devotees to the Heart of Jesus’) and has provoked a row between those in favour and those against.

Supporters of the statue, which will depict Jesus with wide, open arms, claim it will act not just as a tourist attraction for the region but rather a symbolic ‘beacon of hope’ that would ‘welcome all of humanity’. 

READ MORE: IN PICS: Why were giant statues paraded through Barcelona at the weekend? Bizarre tradition dates back centuries

“Our goal is to inspire and unify,” said Juan Perez, a spokesperson for the association behind the plans. “This is not about vanity or spectacle but about expressing love and faith in a tangible form.”

However, other residents argue that the €17 million of public donations earmarked for the project would be better spent in other areas with a tangible impact for locals.

Some opponents also worry about the environmental impact of the proposal, and the impact on local traffic given the proximity of the proposed site – recently ceded by the town council – to a nearby motorway. 

“Given the price of housing in Boadilla, for example, it makes no sense to allocate available land for this,” said Alessandra del Monaco, local leader of the socialist PSOE and opposition to the conservative Partido Popular-run council. 

If it generates sufficient public support, construction of the statue will begin in 2027, with work set to be completed by June 2030.

Click here to read more Madrid News from The Olive Press.