This weekend, Lisbon’s Monument to Christ (known as “Cristo Rei” or “Christ the King”) will celebrate 50 years. The cousin of Rio de Janeiro’s famous landmark was built in thanks for peace in Portugal during WWII, and overlooks the capital from the south bank of the Tagus. To celebrate the milestone, an image of the Virgin will be brought from the shrine of Fatima, repeating an event that took place on the 17th of May 1959 for the monument’s inauguration. It is estimated that about 200,000 people will follow it, although some are expecting a number closer to half a million.

A procession will start in Comercio Square on the 16th, when the Virgin will be taken across the river in a ship from the Portuguese navy escorted by a number of smaller boats. It will then remain by the Monument to Christ until the following day, when the official ceremony and mass will take place.

If you won’t be in Lisbon this weekend, the monument is open throughout the year, and is mostly visited for the view of Lisbon from the top. Many people are actually not fans of the structure itself, a dull concrete pedestal raising an ordinary concrete statue. Still, visiting the monument is worth the trip across the river because although Lisbon offers a number of breathtaking viewpoints, nowhere else will you get the most complete view of the city’s skyline from a bird’s-eye perspective.

Related Posts

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2. The 50th Anniversary Renovation of Lisbon’s Discoveries Monument
3. Thailand Celebrates 500 Years of the Arrival of the Portuguese with a New Attraction in Lisbon
4. Cristo Rei
5. “The Greatness of Little Portugal” – Portugal 100 Years Ago – A Free National Geographic Exhibition in Lisbon this Summer

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at 10:03 am and is filed under Events, Sights. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.