Think of the largest and most iconic sculptures on the planet. Do the Statue of Liberty in New York or Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro come to mind?

Now, an even taller statue has debuted: the largest sculpture of Our Lady of Fatima in the world, inaugurated on Thursday in the Brazilian city of Crato.

With an impressive height of 177 feet (the equivalent of a 15-story building), the new sculpture rises in the middle of an extensive urban plain — making visible the strong Marian devotion of the region’s inhabitants, inscribing faith in the landscape itself.

With an interior made of polyurethane and an exterior composed of fiberglass membranes with resin, a gel finish and special paint, the sculpture was created in parts, which were then transported to Crato and assembled like a 3D puzzle. In total, the work took one year and five months to complete, involving a team of more than 30 people. At the same time, a new sanctuary was built around it, equipped with services for pilgrims, a replica of the Chapel of the Apparitions in Fatima, Portugal, and pastoral assistance.

During the inauguration ceremony, which brought together thousands of people, Crato Bishop Magnus Henrique Lopes highlighted that, with this new image, comes a renewed appeal for peace: “Our Lady of Fatima asks for conversion and asks us to pray for world peace and above all for the peace of our hearts, for when we pray for inner peace, world peace happens.”

Several local and national political representatives were also present. Minister of Education Camilo Santana stressed that this was a moment of reflection. “The world needs tolerance, fraternity and affection. May Our Lady of Fatima nourish the hearts and minds of each of us. We, who are rulers, who make decisions, may we always make decisions with wisdom, with justice, and always looking out for the people who need it most, in Ceará and in this country.”

But how did a Marian devotion that originates in Portugal come to flourish in this South American city? It all began exactly 72 years ago, on Nov. 13, 1953, when Crato received for the first time the visit of the pilgrim statue of Our Lady of Fatima.

The sculpture, sent by the Sanctuary of Fatima in Portugal, was taken to the main square of the city of Crato, drawing the faithful, authorities and the general population. And there are reports of favors after the statue’s passage through the streets. At the end of that month, the Crato cathedral received as a gift a replica of Our Lady’s statue that is housed in Fatima’s Chapel of the Apparitions, marking the site of the 1917 Marian apparition to the three Portuguese shepherd children.

Consequently, devotion to Our Lady of Fatima has flourished in the region. New parishes were created under this Marian title, and several public facilities in the city, such as daycare centers, schools, streets and neighborhoods, began to bear Our Lady’s name.

More recently, in 2014, a 147-foot-high sculpture of Our Lady of Fatima was inaugurated there, at the time the largest in Brazil. But criticism mounted — over its questionable beauty and its departure from the original image. From there, a desire arose to replace the existing sculpture and restructure the surrounding space to foster a greater experience of Marian spirituality.

Father Arileudo Machado, the monument’s administrator, began the search for the right artist for this mission and found Ranilson Viana, a young Brazilian sculptor whose works are known for their detailed realism and ability to evoke emotions.

“It was with great joy and pride that I received the invitation to make this sculpture,” Viana told the Register. “I had already made a sculpture of about 65 feet, another of 108, and I am preparing a sculpture of St. Anne of 187 feet. But having the opportunity to make the largest Our Lady of Fatima in the world was particularly special because I grew up in a house of great faith, and my grandmother was always devoted to Our Lady of Fatima.”

“Every detail of this sculpture carries the devotion to Mary that she passed on to me,” he added. “Working on this piece was, for me, a form of prayer in motion.”

Viana, 38, was raised by his maternal grandparents after his mother died when he was just a toddler. “I grew up in a very poor house in the rural area of ​​Petrolina, and we went through many difficulties, but I never lacked love and faith,” he recalled.

What he never imagined was that he would become a sculptor, much less create works of this magnitude. Although he always enjoyed drawing, and everyone recognized that he had a special talent for it, he remembers his grandmother warning him that it was difficult to earn a living in visual arts.

However, it was when he learned that his wife was pregnant with their first child that he took the risk of making his first sculpture. “We needed money to be able to have a house with a room for the baby, and it was with this first sculpture that I managed to get it,” he recounted. The baby would die less than two months after being born, but amid the enormous pain of that loss, Viana understood one of the purposes of his son’s short life: to show him his vocation as a sculptor.

From then on, he never stopped: His faith grew, and so did his sculptures, which he began to create also with the aim of strengthening the faith of others. “I really want these images to help them establish a strong connection with our Creator,” he said. “And I see that happening. There are people who come up to me and hug me, saying that their lives have changed since coming into contact with the sculptures. I have received reports from people who have overcome alcoholism, who have reconnected with their families. ... It is very rewarding to know how my work can transform people.”

In addition, by attracting pilgrims, tourists and curious onlookers, “the presence of these sculptures promotes local development, because where there is greater circulation of people, security must increase, there must be commerce, access and transportation must improve; there must be health services, education, etc.,” emphasized the sculptor.

His sculpture of Our Lady of Fatima is proof of this.

For the rector of the Sanctuary of Fatima in Portugal, Father Carlos Cabecinhas, “the Marian devotion of the Brazilian people is impressive, and the devotion to Our Lady of Fatima is even more impressive.” The priest told the Register that, “from the first moment,” he supported this initiative and followed the evolution of the construction of this new religious complex. He hopes to soon see the Marian monument in person.

For the unveiling, the pilgrim image of Our Lady of Fatima returned to Crato — after more than 70 years.

As for sculptor Viana, he is already planning his trip to the Sanctuary of Fatima. “I promised Our Lady that if this project were approved, I would go to the sanctuary to give thanks. I will go as soon as possible, along with my wife, my three children, and my mother-in-law,” he said. And, while receiving requests from various parts of Brazil and other Latin American countries to sculpt more giant statues of Our Lady, Viana shared his next goal: to build the largest statue in the world, with a height of 200 meters (656 feet; the tallest sculpture currently is 182 meters and represents one of the leaders of India’s independence, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, located in the state of Gujarat).

But this sculpture, he revealed, will not be of any other representation of Mary. It will be of the One to whom “she always points”: Jesus.