Gigantic statue of Jesus in Prešov does not yet have a definitive form

Košice - The largest statue of Jesus Christ in Europe, which is expected to be erected in a few years in eastern Slovakia's Prešov, does not yet have a final design. Artists are currently preparing its third model, said CTK the statue's author Martin Pala. According to him, the estimated costs for the project range from ten to 15 million Slovak crowns. According to the mayor of Prešov, the gigantic, 33-meter-high statue will attract more tourists to the city.
    "We still do not have a definitive form, we will decide in the coming weeks," said Pala, who is assisted in the preparatory work by two other artists. The most famous statue of Christ in the world is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and stands 38 meters tall. The Prešov Christ is expected to be five meters shorter; nevertheless, it will reportedly be the largest statue of Jesus on the Old Continent.
    According to Pala, the standing Christ above Prešov should gesture blessings or suggest an embrace. "Artistically, our statue will differ from the figure of Christ in Rio de Janeiro," claims Pala. It is said to also evoke the shape of a cross.
    "Funding will come from private and foundation sources; I do not rule out a public collection," said Prešov Mayor Pavel Hagyari to CTK. The whole project is just getting underway; realistically, the reinforced concrete Christ could appear above the city in two or three years.
    Currently, the largest monument to Christ in Europe stands in Portugal. The statue there above Lisbon is 28 meters high and, with its pedestal, reaches a height of 110 meters, making it visible from 20 kilometers away. In Slovakia, Christ is likely to surpass the decades-long record of the tallest statue, which has been held so far by the more than ten-meter figure of a Soviet soldier at Bratislava's Slavín.