From Italy to Florida to the Philippines, the world’s oceans are home to some wondrous Catholic statues.
For centuries Catholics have used statues and art as a means of sharing their faith and paying homage to God’s holy family. While most of us are accustomed to seeing Catholic statues within churches or shrines, not many of us may know that some monuments built to honor Christ or Virgin Mary are found underwater. From Florida’s Christ of the Abyss to Italy’s “Il Cristo degli Abissi,” here are four places around the world with otherworldly underwater statues.
1. Cristo degli Abissi, Italy
This 8-foot-tall bronze statue was put at the bottom of the sea in San Fruttuoso, a town on the Italian Riviera, in 1954. It was sculpted by Guido Gallettito honor the memory of Dario Gonzatti, an Italian diver and a Catholic, who died there in 1947. It depicts Christ with his arms open towards the sky as he offers a benediction of peace.