Jesus in Malta

See http://atlasobscura.com/place/jesus-tree-malta for more info about the Jesus Tree at Malta

Img: Jesus Tree at Malta

The underwater statue of Jesus at Malta

The people of Malta are predominantly Catholic, and the islands are full of visual reminders of their faith. One we particularly liked was a magnificent statue of Jesus Christ, purposely placed in the ocean as an attraction for scuba divers.

The sculpture was created by Guido Galletti after an idea of Italian diver Duilio Marcante. The statue was placed near the spot where Dario Gonzatti died in 1947. He was the first Italian to use SCUBA gear. It depicts Christ in a pose offering a blessing of peace. Underwater statue of Jesus is placed on the sea bed near the shores of Malta. It was commissioned to commemorate the 1990 visit of Pope John Paul II to Malta.


The statue is only in about 8M/25' of water and the out-stretched hands are about 3 M/15' from the surface. It is located near Dry Rocks, about six miles east-northeast of the Key Largo Cut, in the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. It is a copy of "Il Cristo Degli Abssi," located in the Mediterranean Sea near Genoa, Italy. The original statue was cast by artist Guido Galletti, and was modeled after Italian swimmer/diver Duillo Mercanet. It was placed in 1954.

In 1961 Italian SCUBA entrepreneur Egidi Cressi commissioned the second casting from the original mold, and donated it to the Underwater Society of America. The statue ended up in storage at O'Hare airport in Chicago, waiting for a home. Senator Spessard Holland of Florida helped John Pennekamp Park to get the nod, where it was placed on August 25, 1965.
Today, Christ of the Abyss is one of the most famous and popular underwater sites in the only underwater park in the world.

Thank you Sarin Gigi for the info :)