The Christ of the Ozarks is a large sculpture located just outside Eureka Springs. This Christian monument is on the grounds of the Great Passion Play religious theme park. The sculpture is seven stories high. The statue of Jesus stands at an altitude of 1500 feet, meaning that it can easily be seen from the valley below as well as from a number of locations in the surrounding area.
As the third largest evangelical statue in the world after the two in South America, Christ of the Ozarks is the work of Emmet Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan was supposedly one of the artisans who helped construct Mount Rushmore, and sculpture buffs may wish to compare the style for similarities.
Christ of the Ozarks was dedicated in 1966. Building the structure took two million pounds of mortar and steel. The foundation alone required 340 tons of concrete interlaced with steel to provide a firm enough base to keep the statue upright. The monument was constructed in 24 sections, instead of being poured into one mold, as that would have been a truly heroic engineering feat to even create a mold. Other fun measurements for trivia buffs include that the arm span from fingertip to fingertip reaches 65 feet, the head alone weighs seven and half tons, and the distance on one hand from wrist to fingertip is nearly seven feet.
The statue is not universally loved, as some feel that it lacks a certain expressiveness. Compared to other religious sculpture, the features are considered rather hard and harsh with "dead'' eyes. Yet for all its perceived chilly personality, visitors flock to the site for pictures.
The statue park is open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week, year round. Admission is free, although to protect the solitude of the monument and the surrounding park land the parking area is a bit distant. However, those with mobility struggles should not that tThe walkway to the statue is a gently sloping paved area.
