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Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Outgoing Peruvian president Alan García hopes to replicate the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photograph: Mauricio Simonetti /Getty
Outgoing Peruvian president Alan García hopes to replicate the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photograph: Mauricio Simonetti /Getty

Peruvian leader under fire for plan to rival Rio's Jesus Christ statue

This article is more than 12 years old
Outgoing president Alan García causes outcry over replica of Brazil's Christ the Redeemer statue

For Peru's outgoing president it is the realisation of a personal dream. Alan García says the construction of the world's tallest statue of Jesus, on a hill in the capital overlooking the ocean, will "bless Peru and protect Lima".

But the recent revelation of his secret plan has drawn criticism from city officials and architects, who describe it as unsuitable, excessive and authoritarian.

The city's mayor, Susana Villarán, complained that she had not been consulted about the monument, a virtual replica of Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer statue. "I respect President García, and I am a believer. But there is a thing called the integrity of the landscape of Lima's bay," she said.

The work, which will stand 37 metres tall and be visible from any point along the city's 12-mile coastline, is due to be inaugurated on 29 June, although Lima residents knew nothing about it until recently.

Its resemblance to Rio's Corcovado statue is no coincidence. The Brazilian engineering firm Odebrecht, which built a transoceanic highway between the two countries, has donated more than $830,000 towards its construction. Not to be outdone, García says he has donated 100,000 Peruvian soles (£22,000) from his own savings.

Peru's culture minister, Juan Ossio, said it was a "surprise for the country". But the unexpected gift has generated anger. Architecture students from Lima's Universidad Nacional de Inginieria plan two demonstrations at the Morro Solar, the hill where the statue nears completion. They complain it is an anachronistic copy that would spoil the landscape.

One prominent architect, Augusto Ortiz de Zevallos, called it an "excessive and authoritarian gesture" lacking in "aesthetic, historic or symbolic" significance. He compared the structure with the monumentalism of 1940s leaders such as Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini.

Garcia's cabinet chief, Rosario Fernández, defended the plan, saying it had been formally agreed with the mayor of the local municipality of Chorrillos.

As the statue nears completion it seems little will impede its inauguration. As he bows out, García – described in a US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks as having a "colossal ego" – is keen to leave a visible legacy that marks his relationship with Brazil.

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