The Cristo de La Habana is a 20-metre white marble statue of Jesus Christ that overlooks Havana Bay from a hilltop in Casablanca on the eastern side of the harbour. The statue was sculpted in Italy by Jilma Madera from Carrara marble and inaugurated on Christmas Eve 1958 — just 15 days before Fidel Castro's rebel columns would enter Havana and end the Batista dictatorship, making it the last major monument of pre-revolutionary Cuba.
The statue is reached by a little ferry that crosses Havana Bay from Muelle de Luz (a 10-minute crossing, very cheap), followed by a short walk uphill. The view from the Cristo across the bay — with Old Havana spread out, the Malecón curving west, and the Vedado skyscrapers in the distance — is one of the finest in Cuba. The Che Guevara house museum (where Che lived in 1959 before moving elsewhere) is a 200-metre walk from the statue.
Verified Facts
The Cristo is 20 metres tall, sculpted from Carrara marble
It was inaugurated on Christmas Eve 1958
Castro's forces entered Havana 15 days later, on January 8, 1959
It was sculpted by Jilma Madera in Italy
Get walking directions
Carretera Casablanca, Regla, Havana, Cuba
