Cultural places in Portugal

Monument • Almada, Setúbal

High above Pragal, with arms open over the Tagus, Cristo Rei has become one of the most striking shapes in Lisbon’s skyline, although it already belongs to Almada. The idea was born when Cardinal Cerejeira saw Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, yet the monument gained its deepest meaning in the vow made by the Portuguese bishops in 1940: if the country were spared from the Second World War, a great sign of gratitude and peace would be raised here. Inaugurated in 1959, with a design by António Lino and sculpture by Francisco Franco, the ensemble joins the solemn scale of a sanctuary to the simple force of a figure turned towards the city. It is worth noticing the void between the four pillars and letting your eyes rise to the open arms before lingering at the viewpoint, where the Tagus and Lisbon seem to unfold in a single breath.