Christ the Redeemer struck by lightning captured in rare photo

They say lightning never strikes twice. Brazil’s most recognisable statue begs to differ.

The 30-metre-tall statue of Christ the Redeemer, which sits atop Rio de Janeiro’s mount Cocovado was illuminated by an electrical storm from the heavens this weekend.

It is a relatively rare occurrence. The figure has been previously damaged by lightning storms in 2008 and again 2014. Even more infrequently has a photographer captured the event on camera.

On Saturday night, the moment the lightning bolt struck the statue of Christ was captured by photographer Fernando Braga.

The 635 tone soapstone sculpture was lit up by the single bolt, making for spectacular images.

Braga said the image was taken on an old Nikon camera that belonged to his father.

It’s an image he says he has tried to capture many times before.

Talking to Brazilian news network Noticias UOL, the photographer had a premonition that this photo would happen this weekend.

On the humid summer evening, he had set up the camera to surreptitiously watch the statue.

“After about 3 hours with the machine taking a sequence of more than 500 photos in long exposure, this long-awaited photo finally appeared. In many other (countless) days and moments I did the same and nothing. But that’s it. It’s part of it and we always have to keep trying,” he told Noticias.

“It’s like that in everything. Never give up. I hope you enjoyed the picture!”

The Brazilian amateur photographer has published over 600 images mostly of Cocovado and the Redeemer from his home in Rio. His image of the statue in front of a ‘super moon’ in June 2021 also found wide recognition. But this was a once-in-a-lifetime shot.

The image of the thunderstorm was picked up by Italian astronomer Massimo on Twitter, which found viral attention online and a quarter million shares.

It has won Braga many new fans, including celebrities. Actor Will Smith re-shared the image this weekend, taking it as a divine warning:

“Okay… I get it… I’ma straighten up!” he wrote.

The photos were captured during a spate of flash floods and heavy downpours in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazil’s most famous statue

The Art Deco statue Cristo Redentor was gifted to the city by the Catholic Circle of Rio in the 1920s. Perched 125-metres above the city, it is a dramatic and extremely exposed figure.

Sculptors and engineers from France, Romania and Brazil worked for over a decade on the design.

Completed in 1931 it was named one of the 7 modern wonders of the world in 2007. Visited by almost two million people every year, despite the climb, it is one of the world’s most visited statues.

Built in a rare light soapstone, the scars of previous repairs are easy to see. This includes the fingers of his right hand which were replaced after being struck by lighting in 2014.