You’ve undoubtedly seen a photo of the underwater Jesus statue buried deep beneath the waves and are wondering where it may be discovered. Because there are several Christ of the Abyss statues distributed over the world, the answer to that query is not as simple as you might expect.
The Initial Bronze in San Fruttuoso, Italy (1954)
The bronze statue, which is more than 15 meters deep, was erected on the bed of the sea on the 22nd of August, 1954, at the suggestion of famed Italian diver Duilio Marcante, who wished to install a monument of Jesus following the passing of his colleague Dario Gonzatti during a descent a few years earlier at that site. Guido Galletti sculpted the statue, which has its arms lifted in an invoking gesture. The monument stands 2.5 meters tall and weighs 260 kilograms without the base.
Following Marcante’s passing, a plaque was erected at the foot of the monument in his honor. It was recently repaired to prevent deterioration and corrosion and to reconnect a hand that had been separated due to an anchor.
The Grenada Copy (1961)
There is another bronze sculpture, produced from the same mold as the first. This replica of the underwater Jesus statue at Carenage port commemorates the disaster of the Bianca C, which was a famous luxury cruise liner from Italy that was dubbed the “Titanic of the Caribbean.”
A huge blast happened in the boiler room on the 22nd of October, 1961, when the ship was docked in St. George’s. Locals deployed their fishing boats promptly to rescue roughly 700 guests and staff, incredibly, only one died. They set up a temporary hospital to attend to the injured while also welcoming others into their homes. Two days later, the ship went down near Grand Anse Beach.
Costa Line presented this “Christ of the Deep” statue replica in recognition of the courageous efforts of the Grenadians.
The American Copy (1962)
The Christ of the Abyss in Key Largo is the third bronze cast from the original casting. Pennekamp State Park is where you’ll find it. The Palmer House in Chicago hosted the exhibition and celebration, which included a luncheon and the handover to the United States. Following the celebrations in Chicago, the monument was transferred and kept at O’Hare Airport. Locating a permanent destination for it was difficult, but with the help of the Floridian Senator, John Pennekamp Park in Key Largo triumphed. However, there was no funding to transfer it to Key Largo.
The Florida Otter Diving Club took the initiative, and with the assistance of the Naval Reserve, a training flight moved the monument to Orlando, Florida, where it is now on display.
One issue that had to be resolved was why we were putting this gorgeous monument beneath the water when so few people could view it. It resumed its tour to the Florida Keys in January 1964, stopping at the Art McKee Museum.
In the spring of 1965, the monument was delivered to Pennekamp Park after the design for the concrete base and other procedures were completed.
It was inaugurated on the 29th of June, 1966, at Harry Harris Park, but it had to pass a test first. Hurricane Betsy gave this on the 8th of September, 1965, when she thrashed the seas with Category III winds and tested its installation. Even though many questioned Thomas’, the monument stayed sturdy and majestic and did not budge.
In this article, we have learned about the three versions of the underwater Jesus statue. The initial bronze statue by Guido Galletti can be found in San Fruttuoso, Italy. The first replica is located in Grenada, and the last replica is the “Christ of the Abyss” in Key Largo. These captivating statues, submerged in the depths of the sea, continue to captivate and inspire divers and visitors from around the world.
