On September 19, 2024, Indonesia unveiled the world's tallest statue of Jesus Christ on Sibeabea Hill in North Sumatra’s Samosir Regency, overlooking Lake Toba.
Standing 61 meters high, the monument aims to boost tourism in the region, which already draws nearly one million visitors annually.
The inauguration ceremony was led by Antonius Subianto Bunjamin, head of the Bishops' Conference of Indonesia (KWI), and Medan Archbishop Kornelius Sipayung, alongside local authorities.
Donations of Rp 5 billion (US$329,574) funded the statue's construction, which began in 2018.
During his speech, Bishop Bunjamin shared that earlier this month, Pope Francis consecrated a miniature version of the statue during his visit to Indonesia.
“The miniature statue signifies Pope Francis' blessing for the new statue and all of us,” he remarked. The Pope placed the miniature and a signed plaque at the base of the monument.
Pastor Moses Elias Situmurang, who organized the event, credited Sudung Situmorang, the head of the "Let There Be Light in Lake Toba Foundation," for initiating the statue's construction.
He also noted that the Public Works and Housing Ministry and the Samosir regional administration provided Rp 40 billion for the infrastructure around the monument.
Moses emphasized that a Vatican team had rigorously reviewed the project's spending to ensure transparency and prevent corruption or money laundering.
The all-white statue, crafted by Yogyakarta artists Himawan and Eko, depicts Jesus with outstretched arms. Positioned a top Sibeabea Hill, visitors can view the expansive blue waters of Lake Toba, Southeast Asia's largest lake, and the lush landscape of Samosir Island.
Pastor Moses pointed out that the statue surpasses other famous Christ monuments, including Rio de Janeiro's Christ the Redeemer (30 meters) and Brazil’s Christ the Protector (43.4 meters).
He explained the statue's deeper meaning: "The 8-meter foundations represent the eight points of the compass, while the height of 61 meters symbolizes the Christian belief that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh."
Samosir Regent Vandiko T. Gultom expressed hope that the statue would further enhance tourism and benefit the local economy.
"This is a new icon of Samosir Regency and will hopefully have a positive impact on tourism in the region and the people's economy," he said.
He also pledged to improve access to the site, including plans for a dock at Sibeabea Hill to facilitate boat tours on Lake Toba.
Indonesia is home to other large Christ statues, including the 45-meter-tall Jesus Blessed Tana Toraja statue in South Sulawesi and the 30-meter Jesus Blessing Monument in Manado, North Sulawesi. -with input from The Star
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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