Famous Statues of Jesus Around the World: Top 10

Famous statues of Jesus around the world range from a 61-metre giant above Lake Toba in Indonesia to a bronze Christ standing on the seabed off Italy.

This Finepedia guide, written in October 2026, profiles 10 celebrated statues of Jesus on five continents, from mountain-top giants in Poland and Bolivia to a Renaissance marble by Michelangelo. For every statue we note its size, its date and the story behind it. For more on great sculpture and sacred places, see the Finepedia guides Iconic Statues Through the Ages: Top 10 and Most Spiritual Sites in the World: Top 10.

How We Chose These

Our picks are statues known for their scale, setting, artistry or history, and that are well documented. Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer, the best known of all, is left out because it already has a full entry in our iconic statues guide; many of the statues below were inspired by it. Heights come from Wikipedia and official or news sources, and we say whether a figure includes the base. The order mixes size and fame and is a guide rather than a strict ranking.

The 10 Famous Statues of Jesus at a Glance

1. Indonesia's Sibeabea Statue Is the Tallest

The statue of Jesus Christ the Saviour stands on Sibeabea Hill on Samosir, overlooking Lake Toba in North Sumatra. It was blessed and opened on 19 September 2024 and news reports describe it as the tallest figure of Jesus ever built.

Key Facts

• Height: 61 metres
• Site: Sibeabea Hill, Samosir Regency, about 1,000 metres above sea level
• Building began: 2018
• Funding: donations, with roads and access paid for by the government

Did You Know?

Earlier in September 2024, during his visit to Indonesia, Pope Francis blessed a small model of the statue in Jakarta and signed a prayer plaque. Both were later placed at the base of the monument.

2. Christ the King Rises Above Świebodzin

The Świebodzin statue in western Poland was finished on 6 November 2010. The idea came from a retired local priest, Sylwester Zawadzki, and money was raised through donations.

Key Facts

• Figure: 33 metres tall, a number chosen to match Jesus' age at his death
• Overall: 52.5 metres, counting the crown and the mound of stones it stands on
• Weight: about 440 tonnes
• Materials: concrete and fibreglass

Why It Matters

Guinness World Records long named it the world's biggest Jesus figure, until the Sibeabea statue opened in 2024. Its gilded crown alone is 2 metres high, and the head weighs about 15 tonnes.

3. Cristo de la Concordia Watches Over Cochabamba

Cristo de la Concordia, or Christ of Peace, stands on San Pedro Hill on the eastern edge of Cochabamba in Bolivia. Modelled on the Rio statue, it was built between 1987 and 1994 and was the largest Jesus statue in the world when it was finished.

Key Facts

• Figure: 33.44 metres, on a 6.24-metre pedestal
• Arm span: about 32.9 metres
• Weight: about 2,200 tonnes
• Getting there: by cable car, or up some 2,000 steps

Did You Know?

Visitors can climb 1,399 steps inside the statue to a viewing area in its arms, but only on Sundays. The hilltop sits about 265 metres above the city and 2,840 metres above sea level.

4. Cristo Rei Looks Across the Tagus to Lisbon

Portugal's Cristo Rei shrine stands in Almada on the south bank of the Tagus, facing Lisbon. Lisbon's cardinal came up with the idea after seeing the Rio statue on a trip to Brazil in 1934, and it opened on 17 May 1959.

Key Facts

• Figure: 28 metres
• Pedestal: 82 metres high, with a viewing deck on top
• Purpose: thanks for Portugal being spared the worst of World War II
• View: the 25 de Abril Bridge, the river and the city

Why It Matters

Portugal's bishops agreed in 1940 to build the monument as a prayer for the country to stay out of the war. It took about ten years to build and was paid for largely by the faithful.

5. Vũng Tàu's Christ Is Asia's Giant

Vietnam's giant Christ stands on Mount Nhỏ above the coastal city of Vũng Tàu in southern Vietnam. Work started in 1974 and was finally finished in 1994.

Key Facts

• Figure: 32 metres, on a 4-metre platform
• Arm span: about 18.3 metres
• Inside: a staircase of 133 steps
• Title: often called the largest Christian statue in Asia

Did You Know?

Since a restoration in 1993 the statue has become a major place of pilgrimage for Catholics from all over Vietnam. It is also a popular stop for holidaymakers visiting the beaches of Vũng Tàu.

6. The Christ of the Andes Guards a Peace

This bronze figure stands high on the old La Cumbre pass, exactly where Argentina meets Chile. Its unveiling, on 13 March 1904, celebrated the two neighbours settling their quarrel over the frontier without war.

Key Facts

• Height: about 7 metres
• Sculptor: Mateo Alonso of Buenos Aires
• Altitude: about 3,832 metres
• Access: by an old mountain road, open only in summer

Why It Matters

An inscription at its feet promises that the mountains will crumble before the two peoples break the peace they swore at Christ's feet. A popular story says it was cast from melted cannons, though some historians doubt this.

7. El Salvador's Divine Saviour Stands on the World

The Monument to the Divine Saviour of the World stands in a plaza in San Salvador and shows Christ on top of a globe, raised on a tall concrete base. It is now the emblem of El Salvador, a country whose very name means "the Saviour".

Key Facts

• Location: Plaza El Salvador del Mundo, San Salvador
• Presented: 26 November 1942
• Damage: hit by the 1986 San Salvador earthquake, then rebuilt
• Restoration: the plaza was fully remodelled in 2010

Did You Know?

Its base was first designed for the grave of Manuel Enrique Araujo, who was president of El Salvador from 1911 to 1913. His family gave it to the nation, and the statue of Christ was added on top.

8. The Christ of Havana Overlooks the Bay

The Christ of Havana stands on a hill above Havana Bay in Cuba. Jilma Madera, a Cuban sculptor, carved it from white Italian Carrara marble after winning a competition for the job in 1953.

Key Facts

• Height: about 20 metres, including a 3-metre base
• Weight: about 320 tonnes
• Material: 67 blocks of Carrara marble
• Opened: 24 December 1958

Why It Matters

Just fifteen days after it was unveiled, Fidel Castro's forces entered Havana in January 1959. The statue's eyes were left blank so that it seems to look at everyone, from wherever it is seen in the city.

9. Christ of the Abyss Lies Under the Sea

Christ of the Abyss is a bronze figure fixed to the seabed in the bay of San Fruttuoso, on the coast of Liguria not far from Portofino. Sculpted by Guido Galletti, it shows Christ with his head and arms raised towards the surface.

Key Facts

• Placed: 22 August 1954
• Depth: about 17 metres
• Height: 2.5 metres
• Copies: in Grenada (1961) and off Key Largo, Florida (1965)

Did You Know?

The idea came from the diving instructor Duilio Marcante. The figure honours Dario Gonzatti, an Italian scuba pioneer who lost his life in these waters in 1947. It was lifted out for repairs in 2003 and then returned to the sea.

10. Michelangelo's Risen Christ Stands in Rome

The Risen Christ, also called the Cristo della Minerva, is a marble figure carved by Michelangelo for a Dominican church near the Pantheon in Rome, Santa Maria sopra Minerva. It shows Christ holding the cross and was finished in 1521.

Key Facts

• Artist: Michelangelo
• Commissioned: 1514, by the Roman noble Metello Vari
• Location: to the left of the high altar
• Later addition: a bronze loincloth, added in 1546

Did You Know?

Michelangelo abandoned his first version when a black vein appeared in the marble across Christ's face. That rough first statue survives in a church at Bassano Romano, where the dark streak still shows on the left cheek.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Jesus statue is the tallest?

Reports name the 61-metre Jesus Christ the Saviour, opened in 2024 above Lake Toba in Indonesia, as the record holder. Before that, the record belonged to the Polish statue at Świebodzin.

How tall is Christ the Redeemer in Rio?

Christ the Redeemer is 30 metres tall, standing on an 8-metre pedestal on Corcovado mountain, with arms stretching 28 metres. It was built between 1922 and 1931 and is covered in our iconic statues guide.

Conclusion

From a hilltop giant above Lake Toba to a small bronze figure on the floor of the Mediterranean, these ten statues show the many ways people have honoured Jesus in stone, metal and concrete. Many of them also stand as symbols of peace, gratitude and national identity. For more on great sculpture and sacred places, read the Finepedia guides Iconic Statues Through the Ages: Top 10 and Most Spiritual Sites in the World: Top 10.