<P> The statue weighs 635 metric tons (625 long, 700 short tons), and is located at the peak of the 700 - metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city of Rio de Janeiro . A symbol of Christianity across the world, the statue has also become a cultural icon of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil, and is listed as one of the New7Wonders of the World . It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone . </P> <P> Vincentian priest, Pedro Maria Boss, first suggested placing a Christian monument on Mount Corcovado in the mid 1850s to honor Princess Isabel, princess regent of Brazil and the daughter of Emperor Pedro II, but the project was not approved . In 1889 the country became a republic, and due to the separation of church and state, the proposed statue was dismissed . </P> <P> The Catholic Circle of Rio made a second proposal for a landmark statue on the mountain in 1920 . The group organized an event called Semana do Monumento ("Monument Week") to attract donations and collect signatures to support the building of the statue . The organization was motivated by what they perceived as' Godlessness' in the society . The donations came mostly from Brazilian Catholics . The designs considered for the "Statue of the Christ" included a representation of the Christian cross, a statue of Jesus with a globe in his hands, and a pedestal symbolizing the world . The statue of Christ the Redeemer with open arms, a symbol of peace, was chosen . </P> <P> Local engineer Heitor da Silva Costa designed the statue . French sculptor Paul Landowski created the work . </P>

Why is christ the redeemer statue a wonder