Crato is a Brazilian city founded at the end of the 18th century by a Capuchin friar. It has 131,050 inhabitants, according to the 2022 census. From now on it has one more: an imposing monument consecrated to the Virgin of Fátima which surpasses the iconic Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro in height.
The statue measures 54 meters. It was created by the Brazilian artist Ranilson Viana, who supervised the dismantling of a previous figure and the assembly of the new monument. There had been a 45-meter figure in the place since 2014. Although the first sculpture, which began the local devotion to the Virgin of Fátima, dates back to 1953, with a shipment from Portugal.
In Brazil they affirm that the Church considers the brand new creation as the highest dedicated to Our Lady of Fátima.
«A new symbol of faith illuminates Cariri. In the city of Crato, the largest statue in the world dedicated to Our Lady of Fátima, 54 meters high, was inaugurated,» reported the Government of Ceará, with a video on social networks.
According to local media, thousands of faithful and tourists arrived in a caravan to witness the official inauguration. It is not a minor detail in Brazil: it is estimated that religious tourism mobilized 18 million people in 2023, according to a report by The Globe.
A new symbol of faith illuminates Cariri. 🙏✨
In the city of Crato, the largest statue dedicated to Our Lady of Fátima in the world was inaugurated, measuring 54 meters high.
Watch to see how the delivery went and plan your visit. 😉#GovernodoCeará #Culture #Turismo pic.twitter.com/5dMeMh0sDd
— Government of Ceará (@GovernoDoCeara) November 14, 2025
«In addition to symbolizing spirituality, the new attraction strengthens the local economy, boosts commerce, increases the flow of visitors and generates income for hundreds of families that depend on this sector. In Cariri alone, religious tourism generates an average of 2.5 million reais per year,» detailed the Government of Ceará.
The ceremony included a mass and the blessing of figures that the religious brought to the priest.
«This is my mission now: to strengthen people’s faith through my art,» said Ranilson Viana.
The 54 meters of Our Lady of Fátima exceeds the 38 meters of Christ the Redeemer, a pilgrimage point for faithful and tourists in Rio.
The work was officially inaugurated with a mass by the bishop of Crato, Magnus Henrique, and with musical shows.
The statue of Our Lady of Fátima in Ceará.Viana, however, continues working on a larger work, which will even eclipse his Virgin of Fátima. It is a monument to Saint Anne, the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus, which she prepares in her native Petrolina.
It will measure 57 meters and will be, by one meter, the largest monument in Brazil. In second place will be Saint Rita of Cascia, from Santa Cruz. Then it will be time to transfer it to its destination, Santana do Ipanema, in the state of Alagoas.
Ranilson Viana He explained that his dedication to religious art comes from the devotion of his grandmother, who raised him after the death of his mother. And it deepened recently, when her two-month-old son died. He had just started his path as a sculptor: he did it so – as Sete Margens told the website – he could pay for a house with a room for his son.
