Sanctuary of Christ the King
| Sanctuary of Christ the King (Santuário de Cristo Rei) | |
| National Sanctuary of Christ the King | |
| Shrine (Santuário) | |
 The outstretched arms of the Christ the King sanctuary, projected towards the city of Lisbon.
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| Official name: Santuário Nacional de Cristo Rei | |
| Named for: National tribute to the Sacred Heart | |
| Country |  Portugal |
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| Region | Lisbon |
| Sub-region | Greater Lisbon |
| District | Setúbal |
| Municipality | Almada |
| Location | Pragal, Almada |
| - elevation | 104 m (341 ft) |
| - coordinates | 38°40′42.89″N 9°10′16.80″W / 38.6785806°N 9.1713333°WCoordinates: 38°40′42.89″N 9°10′16.80″W / 38.6785806°N 9.1713333°W |
| Length | 25 m (82 ft), North-South |
| Width | 25 m (82 ft), West-East |
| Height | 79.30 m (260 ft) |
| Architects | António Lino, Francisco de Mello e Castro, Francisco Franco, João de Sousa Araújo |
| Style | Modern architecture |
| Materials | Reinforced concrete, Masonry, Limestone, Glass |
| Origin | c. 1941 |
| - Initiated | 17 May 1959 |
| - Completion | c. 1969 |
| Owner | Portuguese Republic |
| For public | Public |
| Visitation | Closed (24 December (1:00 p.m.) to 25 December (2:30 p.m.); 31 December (6:15 p.m.) to 1 January (10:00 a.m.) |
| Easiest access | Avenida do Cristo Rei, Ponte 25 de Abril |
| Management | Instituto Gestão do Patrimonio Arquitectónico e Arqueológico |
| Operator | Diocese of Setúbal |
| Winter | 9:30 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. |
| Summer | (Daily) 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; (Weekends) 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. |
| Website: http://www.cristorei.pt/ | |
The Sanctuary of Christ the King (Portuguese: Santuário de Cristo Rei) is a Catholic monument and shrine dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ overlooking the city of Lisbon situated in Almada, in Portugal. It was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue of Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, after the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon visited that monument. The project was inaugurated on 17 May 1959, while Portugal was ruled by the authoritarian President of the Council of Ministers António de Oliveira Salazar who gave his final permission for the project. The giant statue in cement was erected to express gratitude because the Portuguese were spared the effects of World War II.
The construction of the Christ the King monument was approved in a Portuguese Episcopate conference, held in Fátima on 20 April 1940, as a plea to God to release Portugal from entering World War II. However, the idea had originated earlier on a visit of the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro in 1934, soon after the inauguration of the statue of Christ the Redeemer in 1931.
In 1941 the land which was used to construct the monument was acquired. In 1949 the cornerstone was finally placed on the site, and managed by the Portuguese Episcopate. Construction began in 1949 and took ten years to complete, funded and supported by Apostleship of Prayer members. Yet it was only in 1952 that the first construction started on the site; at that time the foundations of the monument were established by Empresa de Construções OPCA (at the time, at a cost of 3.020 contos).
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