The statue of Jesus Christ the Savior at Sibeabea Hill, Samosir Regency, North Sumatra, on Thursday September 19, 2024. - Photo: Kompas
JAKARTA: North Sumatra, among some provinces in Muslim-majority Indonesia with a significant number of Christians, has finally launched the long-awaited statue of Jesus Christ, which is reportedly the tallest in the world, following years of construction.
Located on top of a hill next to the popular Lake Toba in Samosir regency, the 61-metre statue was officiated on Thursday (Sept 19) by the head of the Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia (KWI) Antonius Subianto Bunjamin, Medan Archbishop Kornelius Sipayung, as well as local authorities.
Antonius said in his speech that a miniature of the new Christ statue had been blessed by Pope Francis during his visit to Indonesia earlier this month.
The miniature was then placed at the base of the monument along with a plaque containing the Pope's prayer and signature.
"[The miniature] symbolises Pope Francis' blessing for the new statue and for all of us," said Antonius.
Pastor Moses Elias Situmurang who organised the inauguration event said the construction of the statue started in June 2018 under the initiative of Sudung Situmorang, head of the Let There Be Light In Lake Toba Foundation.
"The statue cost Rp 5 billion [US$329,574] to build and was fully funded through donations.
"The Public Works and Housing Ministry and the Samosir regional administration paid for the construction of infrastructure surrounding the monument, which amounted to a total of Rp 40 billion," he said.
Moses added that all the funds used to build the statue had been audited by a team from the Vatican to ensure that the budget was not linked to any money laundering scheme or corruption.
The new Christ statue stands at the peak of Sibeabea Hill, a headland jutting out into the ancient Lake Toba.
The all-white statue, which depicts Jesus standing with outspread arms, was created by a pair of two sculptors from Yogyakarta, Himawan and Eko.
From the monument, visitors can clearly see the vast blue waters of Lake Toba, which is the largest lake in South-East Asia and one of the deepest in the world.
Visitors can also gaze upon the lush green hills of Samosir Island, a 630-square kilometer volcanic island located in the midst of the crater lake.
Moses said that the Christ the Savior statue on Sibeabea Hill was taller than the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which stands at 30 m high.
The new statue is also higher than Brazil's Christ the Protector statue (43.4 m) and Romania's Heart of Jesus Statue (22.5 m).
Moses went on to say that there was a deep philosophy behind the statue's height and its 8-m foundations.
"The 8-m foundations represent the eight points of the compass, while the height of 61 m represents the Christian belief that God created the earth in six days and then rested for a day," he said.
Samosir Regent Vandiko T. Gultom, who attended the statue inauguration, expressed hope that the new Christ statue could attract more tourists to the region.
Lake Toba, designated as a super priority tourist destination in 2019, has been seen various infrastructure developments, as well as tourism facilities in the past years.
And the number of visitors has increased since, with approximately 1 million tourists visiting Samosir last year.
"This [statue] is a new icon of Samosir regency and hopefully will have a positive impact on tourism in the region and the people's economy," he said.
Vandiko further promised to improve access to the new tourist spots to attract more holidaymakers.
He said the ministry was planning to develop a pier at Sibeabea Hill to allow easier access for tourists participating in Lake Toba boat tours.
Aside from the Jesus the Savior statue at the top of Sibeabea Hill, Indonesia also has other large Christ monuments, including the 45-m Jesus Blessed Tana Toraja statue in South Sulawesi and Manado's Jesus Blessing Monument in North Sulawesi that stands at 30 m. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
