Redentore, Nuoro

The statue of the Redeemer is a bronze work placed on a peak of Mount Ortobene near Nuoro, at an elevation of 925 meters above sea level.

The work of sculptor Vincenzo Jerace, it was erected in 1901 in celebration of the Jubilee, when Pope Leo XIII called for monuments to Christ the Redeemer to be erected in all regions of Italy.

The statue alone without a pedestal exceeds 4 meters in height and weighs about 2 tons. It was cast in Naples and arrived in Sardinia by sea, divided into several parts that were transported to the mountain by ox carts and then assembled. Although the fluttering drapery, on the flap of which the figure of the Risen One with the raised cross is held, gives an impression of airy lightness, the imposing work is perfectly balanced, and only after 111 years of exposure to strong winds and considerable temperature fluctuations did structural restoration become necessary.

On the palm of the blessing hand, facing the city of Nuoro, the artist had the dedication engraved: To Luisa Jerace, who died while her Vincenzo was sculpting it.

Behind Christ's right foot is the face of a child, in Nuoro mistakenly identified as an angel or a little devil, and who in reality, as the author himself had written, represents humanity, which in the presence of God is like a child.

On August 29 each year, a solemn mass is celebrated there, concluding a festival that is full of charm, especially for the parade of traditional costumes, songs and dances in which all the towns of Sardinia participate.