(JustPatriots.com)- Last week, a photographer captured the moment a bolt of lightning struck the infamous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Photographer Fernando Braga was taking photographs during a sudden thunderstorm that hit the Rio coast Friday evening and succeeded in capturing the moment the lightning hit the 125-foot-tall iconic statue which he posted on Instagram.
Braga described the strike as “divine lightning” and said he has tried several times to photograph lightning hitting the statue but never managed to capture it until Friday.
The massive bolt of lightning engulfed the head of the world-famous Jesus and illuminated the entire statue with an other-worldly glow.
Braga’s image was quickly reposted by the official Instagram account for Christ the Redeemer.
The infamous Art Deco-style sculpture, which was named in 2007 as one of the seven wonders of the modern world, sits atop Corcovado Hill, 2,000 feet above Rio de Janeiro. It was created by French sculptor Paul Landwoski and Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa. The face of Jesus was created by Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida.
Construction began in 1922 and was completed nine years later. It was dedicated in October 1931 during the feast of Our Lady Aparecida, the patron saint of Brazil.
Containing 700 tons of concrete and weighing 635 metric tons, the statue has become a national symbol for Brazil. Nearly two million people visit the site every year. In 2010, the statue underwent a $4 million restoration.
On the 75th anniversary of its dedication in 2006, the former archbishop of Rio Cardinal Oscar Scheidt created the Archdiocesan Shrine of Christ the Redeemer of Corcovado.
On average, the towering statue gets struck by lightning three to four times a year.
In 2014, the thumb on the right hand was damaged by a lightning strike.
