Cristo de La Habana

Cristo de La Habana

From many parts of Old Havana you can see Havana’s harbor, and as you look across the water to the cliffs on the other side, two landmarks stand out—El Morro Castle, once a prison, and a large statue of Christ. The castle is an ancient Spanish fort, placed there to protect the harbor, and it is pictured in many tourist brochures. The huge statue of Christ is not so well known as the fort, but it too has an interesting story.

The monument was a gift to the people of Havana from Fulgencio Batista, Cuba’s last dictator before the Castro Revolution. A plaque at the base of the monument used to name the donor, but in recent years it has been removed. The date of dedication, Christmas Day of 1958, is interesting. That date was exactly one week before Batista’s downfall and retreat into exile and Castro’s triumph on January 1, 1959.

Latin America has its share of huge statues of Christ. Arguably the most famous and one of the largest (130 feet tall) is Christo Redentor which stands, arms outstretched to his flock, looking over Rio de Janeiro. And Christ of the Andes is also well-known—standing on the Argentina-Bolivia border on the summit of a mountain range. The tallest and newest is Cristo de la Concordia in Cochabamba, Bolivia. This one is not so well-known. But I’ll argue Cristo de La Habana (at 65 feet tall) is one of the most beautiful of all. It is a white marble realistic rendition of Christ wearing a flowing robe. Arms are not outstretched, but held up in front of the body in a teaching pose.

Christo de la Redentor which stands on a mountain-top overlooking Rio is taller, better known, and has a setting unmatchable in Cuba, but as a product of the 1920’s and 1930’s it has an unfortunate (and I think inappropriate) art-deco feel to it, which Havana’s Christ avoids to the credit of its sculptor. And Rio’s statue of reinforced concrete will never match Havana’s white marble.

If you tunnel under the water and drive to the crest of the hill, you’ll find the monument stands in a well kept park with a wonderful view of the city. Sometimes local kids set up a ticket booth and try to sell tickets to the park, but it really is a free park. Other kids offer to explain the history of the park and the harbor. We tried that one and found he didn’t know much about history or where in the bay the USS Maine had been sunk.

On my most recent visit to the park, I discovered how the park stays looking so good. A man with a herd of goats was urging them around the grassy areas. These Cuban lawnmowers make no noise, pose no danger to the herdsman, and don’t require gasoline. It seems to be a win-win solution for man and animal.

Les Inglis

(See lots more about Cuba and its animals on our new website: http://theaniplantproject.org )