There are several underwater statues of Jesus Christ in the world. They were installed so that divers and divers can offer prayers without leaving the water depths. These attractions bring considerable profit, as they attract thousands of tourists who want to see the underwater miracle.
Maltese Christ
The author of the famous Maltese statue is Alfred Camilleri Cauchy. The sculpture was commissioned by local divers to commemorate Pope John Paul II's first visit to the island. They say that the idea of creating a stone figure of Jesus Christ belonged to Jacques Yves Cousteau, who lost his first scientific vessel in this region. The cost of this piece of art was about 1,000 Maltese lira.
The weight of the statue is 13 tons. Jesus, standing at the bottom, stretches out his hands to the light, asking the Eternal blessing for all who dwell in the depths. The statue was originally drowned in 1990 near the St. Paul Islands. However, the gigantic sculpture soon changed its location. Due to the fish farms built nearby, water quality began to deteriorate, and divers were less willing to visit these places. In 2000, the stone Jesus Christ was lifted with a crane and moved to a more convenient location, located 2 kilometers from the coast.
Italian sculpture
Another statue of Jesus Christ is located near the Italian coast, at Cape Portofino. It was installed in 1954. During this time, more than 2 million divers have dived at the cape. This region has unusually clear and transparent water, and the sculpture of the Savior is perfectly visible to those who dive with scuba diving. The bay, at the bottom of which the attraction is located, has belonged to the Abbey of San Fruttuoso, founded in the 5th century, since ancient times.
The Italian statue is relatively small: its height is about 2.5 meters. This work of art was created by the master Guido Galleti according to the idea submitted by the diver Dulio Marcante. The diver spent a lot of time underwater, meditated there and once came to the conclusion that the underwater world should also be sanctified by the presence of the image of God. The place was not chosen by chance: it was in the Bay of San Fruttuoso that Dulio Marcante's best friend, Dario Gonzatti, died.
Bronze statues
One of the bronze statues sank to the bottom in 1961. It happened in the Caribbean Sea, in the harbor of the island of Grenada, the Gulf of St. George's. The sailors decided to install Christ cast from bronze in memory of the ship that caught fire and sank in this place. Now the bronze Son of God raises prayers from the bottom of the gulf for the dead and living sailors, fishermen and everyone who is related to the sea.
There is also a bronze statue in America, Florida. The peculiarity of this sculpture is that it is submerged to a shallow depth, only eight meters. This statue is easily accessible by novice divers, sometimes even weddings are held at the foot of the sculpture. The bronze Savior stands surrounded by colored fish and corals, delighting the hearts of all believing Christians who have plunged into the depths of the sea.
