The ''Cristo del Otero'' (Christ of the Knoll) is a large sculpture and symbol of the city of

Palencia Palencia () is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Palencia. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, in the northern half of ...

in Spain, located on a knoll (''otero'') on the outskirts of the city. Another name, much less popular, is the Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The sculpture was designed by

Victorio Macho Victorio Macho (December 23, 1887, in Palencia – July 13, 1966, in Toledo, Spain) was a renowned 20th-century Spanish sculptor. He is considered to be one of the greats of modern Spanish sculpture. His style was influenced by art deco. His ...

,"Efemérides de Cultura para el 23 de diciembre (Efemérides de Cultura para el 23 de diciembre)." ''Notimex'' 22 Dec. 2010: 1. ''Points of View Reference Center''. Web. 27 June 2014. and it is also the location of his tomb.

Description

The Christ seems to be in a position to bless the city. It was built in 1931 according to the project of sculptor Victorio Macho. It has a style reminiscent of

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

with

Cubist Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement which began in Paris. It revolutionized painting and the visual arts, and sparked artistic innovations in music, ballet, literature, and architecture. Cubist subjects are analyzed, broke ...

resonances and echoes of ancient Egyptian art in the hieratic pose of the figure. It is one of the highest statues of Jesus Christ in the world. At his feet is carved a chapel (called Santa Maria del Otero) and a small museum with items by the architect. At the entrance to the chapel is a small terrace and a gazebo there is the view of the city. The initial project wanted to embed in the eyes of Christ blocks of ivory and marble, but the budget was insufficient, so the empty sockets presented today became windows. His great verticality and slenderness may be because it is designed to be seen from below. One can also interpret this work as a vertical column conform in contrast to the horizontality of the Castilian countryside, covered with grain and sprinkled with poplars and oaks.

Initial design

The initial project by Macho was a statue 21 meters tall with head, arms and feet of bronze and a body decorated with large golden tiles. The arms of Christ, which are currently raised as a sign of protection, were to go sideways at an angle of about 40° to the body. In the end, the project was restructured to lighten the sculpture.

Height

There is an ongoing discussion about the official height of the ''Cristo del Otero''. The exact height is not known. According to the brochures of City Hall, Christ is more than 20 meters high.

Hermitage and museum

The feet of Jesus has a hermitage and museum. The small museum contains: * Information panels of the life and work of Victorio Macho. * Pictures of monuments, projects and other aspects of the same author. * Videos of the author's works in Palencia. * Busts of terracotta and patinated plaster bust of Christ. * A life-size statue, ''Pregnancy'', done in plaster, taken from a mold of Victorio Macho. * Bronze statuettes (''Waterboy'' and ''Iberian Farmer''). In the chapel, supported by many columns and completely whitewashed, one can contemplate: * The central carving of Jesus Crucified (has a strong resemblance to the Christ of Mercy parading in Holy Week). * Projects for the monument to

Alonso Berruguete Alonso González de Berruguete ( – 1561) was a Spanish Painting, painter, Sculpture, sculptor and architect. He is considered to be the most important sculptor of the Spanish Renaissance, and is known for his emotive sculptures depicting re ...

in Palencia. * The grave of sculptor Victorio Macho, covered by a simple white marble tombstone

References

External links