A monument built as a prayer for peace during World War II

Cultures · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Rising 110 metres above the Tagus River, the Christ the King statue in Almada is more than a landmark. It was conceived as a spiritual shield, a massive architectural expression of gratitude for Portugal's avoidance of the direct destruction seen across Europe.

The inspiration for the Sanctuary of Christ the King traces back to 1934, when the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon visited the Christ the Redeemer monument in Rio de Janeiro. Following a 1940 conference in Fatima, the Portuguese Episcopate formally approved the project. The goal was twofold: to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the world's consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to petition for God's protection to keep Portugal out of the Second World War.

Construction was a decade-long endeavor. While the land was acquired in 1941 and the cornerstone was laid in 1949, the foundations were not established until 1952 by the company Empresa de Construções OPCA. The project was largely sustained by the members of the Apostleship of Prayer, eventually costing approximately twenty million escudos. The finished complex was officially inaugurated on 17 May 1959.

The structure itself is a feat of engineering, featuring a 28-metre statue of Christ atop an 82-metre trapezoidal pedestal. Designed by architect António Lino and sculptor Francisco Franco de Sousa, the monument’s base acts as a gate with four arches oriented toward the compass points. The site has since evolved from a religious shrine into a complex sanctuary, including the Chapel of Our Lady of Peace and various halls for pilgrims, even surviving modern digital controversies when a 2023 Porsche advertisement briefly attempted to erase the statue from the Lisbon skyline.

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