CubaPLUS Magazine

As a perennial guardian of the bliss of the city, looking into the mirror of the sheltered bay, formerly a port, stands the beautiful sculpture of El Cristo de La Habana, the work of the artist Gilma Madera, inaugurated on December 25, 1958 in such a location, from where it seems to bless those who look at it or pray, or to welcome or say goodbye to the traveler, no matter how far away they are physically from the monument.

It is a colossal statue, built by pieces carved in carrara marble, worked in Italy and then transported to Cuba, according to the sketches and inspiration of the outstanding Cuban artist. It is located between the gentle elevations of the San Carlos de la Cabaña fortress, the largest among the colonial defensive institutions built in the country, and the picturesque town of Casablanca.

It was declared a National Monument since November 6, 2017. Years before, in 2013, the National Monuments Commission determined the delivery of the 2013 National Restoration Award, to the team in charge of general rehabilitation and care. Due to its exposure to the elements and storms, it is a work susceptible to damage from electric shock and salinity.

Jilma or Gilma, as her name has been spelled interchangeably, was the first surprised to see that her sculpture project was the winner of a contest called for that purpose. Her sketch was not inspired by any specific model, but by her conception of the ideal of masculine beauty: thick lips, slanted eyes, in tune with the miscegenation of Cubans. However, legends have been woven about it, as usually happens with the origins of this type of work, surrounded by imagination and speculation. She stated that from the beginning she tried to make a vigorous sculpture, essentially human rather than heavenly.

She did not want to show a seraphic being, but rather someone who is certain of his convictions, possibly the true Christ. Although her promoters wanted to make it taller, the sculptor firmly defended her criteria of doing it with only 20 meters, due to the relatively low elevation or hill where it was going to be located, in front of the port. Her idea triumphed, as she agreed that from a visual point of view it would be something of a disaster to make it more gigantic.

Gilma worked for two years in Italy in the realization of her project and then in Cuba, she remained very close during the months that it took for the coupling of the pieces and total placement. She had been blessed in Rome by Pope Pius XII, and the crossing was made, in a journey started from the Carrara quarries.

Once standing on his Aramaic sandals, this overwhelming image of the Lord of Christians and lovers of beauty has an estimated weight of 320 tons, supported on a solid base three meters deep. In keeping with its value as a beloved, sacred or emblematic site that is for the majority of the population and of its values as a high-flying artistic work, a team of specialists in various subjects, as well as the Office of the City Historian, they are always attentive to their care, to safeguard that cultural treasure that belongs to everyone, believers or not.