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Poland builds biggest Jesus

A Polish priest said Friday he is nearing completion of what will be the world's largest statue of Jesus Christ, bigger than the current tallest ones in Bolivia and Brazil.

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Source: AAP


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Father Sylwester Zawadzki told AFP that the statue he is constructing at Swiebodzin in western Poland, 50 kilometres (31 miles) from the Polish-German border, will be finished by November 21.

"The statue will be a total 58 metres (190 feet) high from the base and 24 metres wide at the arms," added Jan Zawadzki, foreman on the project and brother of the priest.

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The Roman Catholic pastor came up with the idea to build a statue of Christ larger than any other in the world five years ago.

He purchased a four-acre (1.6-hectare) plot for the project from a state farmland agency and acquired sponsors, aiming to fulfil a cherished ambition.

"My first vocation was to become a priest. My second was to build the statue," the priest told AFP.

Zawadzki has had trouble finding a crane strong enough to hoist the head up onto the shoulders of the Christ figure and has considered using a helicopter.

The statue will be visible from the A2 highway linking Warsaw and Berlin.

Like Christ of Concordia in Bolivia and the Christ of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil -- both of which measure about 33 metres without their pedestals, the Christ of Swiebodzin is entirely white.

Unlike the other two statues, the figure in Poland will have a golden crown.


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