Jesus Bless Monument

You might think that since the majority of Indonesians are Muslims, other religions don’t have the chance to express their faith in art or in any other forms. Manado is one of the special case in Indonesia where the majority of its population are Christians, and instead of seeing mosques or musholla in every 5 meters you walk in the street, you will see mostly churches.

The Jesus Bless Monument (Monumen Yesus Memberkati) was built by Ciputra, a prominent real estate developer in Indonesia. The Jesus statue itself is modeled after the “Jesus Christ the Redeemer” in Corcovado in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, with 30 meters in height, and 20 meters for the statue’s pedestal. It is located 242 meters above sea level, overseeing Manado and the surrounding area.

According to my tour guide, it is the second largest Jesus statue in the world and the largest in Asia.