Submerged Virgins, remembering those who died at seaThe Sacred Heart of Jesus illuminated by the moonThe Christ of Havana is a monumental sculpture, about 20 meters high, representing the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was designed and created by Jilma Madera, a Cuban sculptor born on September 18, 1915 in Pinar del Rio, Cuba, and died in 2000 in Havana.
The origin of Christ
Curiously, the construction of the sculpture is based on a promise made by Fulgencio Batista's wife when the Presidential Palace was assaulted with the intention of killing him in 1957. His wife made at that time the promise to build the image of a Christ that could be seen from any point of the city if her husband was saved, as it finally happened.
Thus, a competition was launched for projects to create the Christ and the winner was the Sacred Heart presented by Jilma Madera. The idea was that it should surpass the 35 meters of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, but the artist refused, since that height was not adequate for the place where the image was to be located.
The construction of the Christ
Jilma Madera went to Italy to build the sculpture, specifically to Carrara, where the quarries of the famous marble of the same name are located. Some 600 tons of marble were used to sculpt the Christ.
The artist spent about two years in Italy to carry out the whole process of creating the figure. Jilma Madera did not use any model to sculpt the image, and gave it some features, such as, for example, thick lips, to refer to Cuba's racial mix.
"I followed my principles and tried to achieve a statue full of vigor and human firmness. I gave the face serenity and integrity, as if to give (the impression of) someone who is certain of his ideas. I did not see him as a little angel among the clouds, but with his feet firmly on the ground," Madera said about his work.
Once completed, the Christ was blessed by the Pope. Pius XII and was transported by ship to Cuba, along with a large piece of marble in case it was needed later to repair possible damage.
Repairs
This additional fragment of Carrara marble that Jilma Madera brought from Italy to Cuba was used by the sculptor in 1961, when lightning struck the figure. The repair, carried out personally by the artist, took about five months.
A total of three times lightning has struck the Christ: in 1961, 1962 and 1986. After the third impact, a lightning rod was placed on the sculpture to prevent further damage.
This Sacred Heart has undergone several repairs, including one subsidized by religious institutions. In addition, the team of experts who restored it in 2013 received the National Restoration Award.
The Christ of Havana
The figure is located in the bay of Havana, specifically in the town of Casablanca, in the Loma de La Cabaña, where it was placed on Christmas Eve 1958 and inaugurated on Christmas Day of the same year.
The Christ of Havana is made up of 12 horizontal strata with 67 pieces in total, and the base on which it was erected is three meters deep. In the center of this base, a framework and a steel beam were placed that vertebrae the Christ from the base to the head. The pieces were tied with turnbuckles to the central frame and then the central space was filled with concrete.
The sculpture weighs approximately 320 tons, is 20 meters high and stands 51 meters above sea level. Since it is a Sacred Heart, the Christ is with one hand up, blessing, while the other rests on his chest. It is facing in the direction of the city, and its eyes are empty, so that, from afar, it gives the impression that it is looking at the viewer from wherever he stands.
If you get to the place where it is located, you can also enjoy breathtaking views of both the sea and the old town. Thanks to its height, El Cristo de la Habana can be seen from different points of the city.
On November 6, 2017, the sculpture was declared a National Monument.
