About 15,000 Christian pilgrims and tourists have participated in the unveiling of the largest statue of Jesus Christ in the world in the western Polish town of Swiebodzin up through the end of November as the town commemorates its 700th anniversary. The statue is 33 metres tall, symbolising the 33 years Jesus lived on earth and weighs 440 tonnes. It is three metres higher than the Christ the Saviour statue in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, according to the webnoviny internet portal, which added that with its 3-metre crown the total height is 36 metres. Together with its pedestal, the statue towers almost 60 metres with a width of 24 metres across the shoulders.
The statue was created by retired priest Sylwester Zawadzki. Residents of Swiebodzin hope that their town of 22,000 will become a site on the map of Roman Catholic pilgrimage sites.
