| Christ of the Abyss | |
|---|---|
 Christ of the Abyss atSan Fruttuoso,Liguria | |
 | |
| Artist | Guido Galletti |
| Year | 1954 (1954) |
| Medium | bronze |
| Location | San Fruttuoso,Liguria,Italy |
Christ of the Abyss (Italian:Il Cristo degli Abissi) is a submerged bronze statue ofJesus Christ byGuido Galletti [it], the original cast of which is located in theMediterranean Sea, offSan Fruttuoso, betweenCamogli andPortofino on theItalian Riviera. Various other casts of the statue are located in other places worldwide, in underwater locations, churches and museums.[citation needed]
The original clay positive, minus the arms, was located in a foundry in 1993. The arms were later found and attached, but not the hands, which had to be replaced. The reconfigured clay sculpture is now on display at the National Museum of Underwater Activities inRavenna,Italy.[1]
The original bronze statue was placed in the Mediterranean Sea on 22 August 1954, at approximately 17 metres (56 ft) depth, and stands 2.5 metres (8 ft) tall.[citation needed] It was sculpted by Guido Galletti, based on an idea of Italian diving instructorDuilio Marcante [it]. The statue was placed near the spot where Dario Gonzatti, the first Italian to useSCUBA gear, died in 1947.[citation needed] It depicts Christ offering abenediction of peace, with his head and hands raised skyward. The statue was subsequently dedicated to the memory of Marcante.[2]
Due to increasing amounts ofcorrosion and the growth ofcrustaceans, the statue was removed from the water and restored in 2003. A hand that had been detached, presumably by an anchor, was also replaced.[1] The statue was returned to the water with a new base on 17 July 2004.[citation needed] The statue was again cleaned in 2018.[3]
A second bronze sculpture, cast from the same mold as the original bronze statue, was placed on the coastline ofSt. George's, Grenada. It was gifted to the people of Grenada in thanks for rescuing the crew and passengers of the Italian vesselMV Bianca C., which was destroyed by fire in the port of St. George's.[4][5] The sculpture was placed on 22 October 1961.[citation needed]
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A third bronze statue, from the original mold, was presented to theUnderwater Society of America in New York in 1962, and shipped by boat toChicago, where it was set up for unveiling in the ballroom of thePalmer House Hotel at the Underwater Society of America 1962 convention. This copy of the originalChrist of the Abyss is namedChrist of the Deep. On 25 August 1965, it was placed in approximately 25 feet (7.6 m) of water offKey Largo,Florida, nearDry Rocks, approximately six miles east of the island ofKey Largo in what was then the waters ofJohn Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The boundaries of the park changed in 1972, so the statue is now in theFlorida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, just outside of John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The statue is 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and weighs around 1,102 pounds (500 kg), and the concrete base to which it is attached weighs approximately 42,000 pounds (19,100 kg).[6]
44°18′51″N9°10′30″E / 44.314038°N 9.174979°E /44.314038; 9.174979
