Cristo Rei of Dili
Encyclopedia
Cristo Rei of Dili or Christ the King
of Dili
is a 88.6 foot (27 m) tall statue of Jesus located atop a globe in Dili, East Timor
. This statue was designed by Mochamad Syailillah, who is usually called Bolil. The statue was officially unveiled by Suharto in 1996 as gift from the Indonesian government to the East Timorese people. The statue has been one of the main tourist sites in East Timor.
The statue, and the globe on which it rests, are situated at the end of Fatucama peninsula
facing out to the ocean and can be reached by climbing some 500 steps.
(former Governor of Timor-Timur (Timor Leste) in Indonesian occupation) to Soeharto (former President of Republic Indonesia). The statue was intended as a present for the 20th anniversary of East Timor's Integration to Indonesia.
Soeharto appointed the Director of Garuda air to lead the project. Garuda was given the responsibility to find capital for funding the project which then prepared 1.1 Billion Rupiah (US$ 123,000),however it cannot affor sufficient fund for the total needs in setting up the statue. Then the contributions of East Timorese civil servants and businessmen able to complete the project which took the cost more than 5 Billion Rupiah (US$ 559,000).
It took almost a year of working to create the body of statue which was done in Sukaraja, Bandung, Indonesia. 30 crew workers were employed for the project.
The body of statue was made with copper plate which separated into 27 pieces of components. These pieces are loaded into three trailer which then shipped to Dili.
Reconstruction of the statue included the globe and a 10 meters high Cross took as long as three months.
Many East Timor resistance leaders criticised the construction of Cristo Rei statue. They said it was a politic propaganda of Jakarta to deceive East Timorese people. However, the greatness of the statue has eliminate all prejudices and it has become a landmark of Dili.
The statue was unveiled on 15 October 1996. MGR Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo
,SDB with former President Soeharto and former Governor of Timor Timur
(Timor-Leste) José Abilio Osorio Soares directly witnessed the splendor of this statue from the air using a helicopter.
Link
Christ the King
Christ the King is a title of Jesus based on several passages of Scripture. It is used by most Christians. The Roman Catholic Church, together with many Protestant denominations, including the Anglican Churches, Presbyterians, Lutherans and Methodists, celebrate the Feast of Christ the King on the...
of Dili
Dili
Dili, spelled Díli in Portuguese, is the capital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of East Timor.-Geography and Administration:Dili lies on the northern coast of Timor island, the easternmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands....
is a 88.6 foot (27 m) tall statue of Jesus located atop a globe in Dili, East Timor
East Timor
The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...
. This statue was designed by Mochamad Syailillah, who is usually called Bolil. The statue was officially unveiled by Suharto in 1996 as gift from the Indonesian government to the East Timorese people. The statue has been one of the main tourist sites in East Timor.
The statue, and the globe on which it rests, are situated at the end of Fatucama peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
facing out to the ocean and can be reached by climbing some 500 steps.
History
The idea of raising the Cristo Rei statue was proposed by José Abilio Osorio SoaresAbilio Jose Osorio Soares
Abílio José Osório Soares was the last governor of the Indonesian province of East Timor before the country's independence....
(former Governor of Timor-Timur (Timor Leste) in Indonesian occupation) to Soeharto (former President of Republic Indonesia). The statue was intended as a present for the 20th anniversary of East Timor's Integration to Indonesia.
Soeharto appointed the Director of Garuda air to lead the project. Garuda was given the responsibility to find capital for funding the project which then prepared 1.1 Billion Rupiah (US$ 123,000),however it cannot affor sufficient fund for the total needs in setting up the statue. Then the contributions of East Timorese civil servants and businessmen able to complete the project which took the cost more than 5 Billion Rupiah (US$ 559,000).
It took almost a year of working to create the body of statue which was done in Sukaraja, Bandung, Indonesia. 30 crew workers were employed for the project.
The body of statue was made with copper plate which separated into 27 pieces of components. These pieces are loaded into three trailer which then shipped to Dili.
Reconstruction of the statue included the globe and a 10 meters high Cross took as long as three months.
Many East Timor resistance leaders criticised the construction of Cristo Rei statue. They said it was a politic propaganda of Jakarta to deceive East Timorese people. However, the greatness of the statue has eliminate all prejudices and it has become a landmark of Dili.
The statue was unveiled on 15 October 1996. MGR Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo
Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo
Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo SDB, GCL is an East Timorese Roman Catholic bishop. Along with José Ramos-Horta, he received the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize for work "towards a just and peaceful solution to the conflict in East Timor."...
,SDB with former President Soeharto and former Governor of Timor Timur
Timor Timur
Timor Timur was the official Indonesian name of present-day East Timor, during its occupation between 1975 and 1999. The occupation was international not accepted.- Background :...
(Timor-Leste) José Abilio Osorio Soares directly witnessed the splendor of this statue from the air using a helicopter.
Link