Brazil has begun construction of a monumental 102-meter-high cross in Cruz Alta, a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The project, funded with public money, aims to turn the Christian monument into one of the main religious and tourist attractions in the south of the country.
Work began in early September at Parque Municipal Antônio Carlos Gomes Nunes and will involve an investment of 30 million reais, a little over five million euros. The agreement to develop the project was signed on September 4 by the mayor of Cruz Alta, Paula Rubin Facco Librelotto, and architect Alisson Maidana, while the design is by Henrique Rocha and Luan Vieira, from the firm Santini & Rocha Arquitetos.
The cross will be part of a complex designed to boost religious tourism in a city of nearly 60,000 inhabitants. The project includes gardens, a theme park, an orchard with species linked to the Bible, and a cable car. It will also be possible to ascend to the horizontal arm of the structure, where a panoramic viewpoint will be installed.
The record will remain at the Valley of the Fallen
Municipal authorities have promoted the project as the future “tallest cross in the world.” The planned 102 meters, however, will not be enough to surpass the cross of the Valley of the Fallen, in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, which reaches 152.4 meters in height.
The difference between the two will be a little over 50 meters. The monumental Spanish cross, built on the Nava cliff and visible from kilometers away, will thus continue to far exceed the new Brazilian construction.
The Cruz Alta cross will, however, have a particular feature that will distinguish it from the Spanish monument: visitors will be able to climb up to its horizontal arm and enjoy the view from there. With its 102 meters, the new monument will join the small group of large crosses that dominate the landscape from heights exceeding one hundred meters.