Gigantic 182ft Virgin Mary statue taller than Christ the Redeemer appears outside tiny village

Gigantic 182ft Virgin Mary statue taller than Christ the Redeemer appears outside tiny village Incredible new photos show the new 183ft Virgin Mary statue towering above the village of Konotopie in Poland, after a wealthy couple spent £19million on the ambitious project An enormous statue of the Virgin Mary taller than Brazil's Christ the Redeemer has appeared outside a village in Poland. Hundreds of people attended a ceremony blessing the 183ft monument on Saturday, which saw helicopters scatter miniature red roses over the crowd, priests in white robes give mass, and a folk ensemble perform traditional Polish music. The statue depicts the Mother of God standing on a plinth now towers above the village of Konotopie, which is home to just 120 people, and is believed to the tallest depiction of Mary in Europe. It is also taller than the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, which stands at 125ft. Brazil's famous monument however reaches higher up, as it sits atop a 2,330ft hill. Lech Walesa, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership of the Polish anti-communist resistance as the head of the Solidarity trade union before becoming president, had a front row seat during the inauguration ceremony. He told reporters: "This is the end of my path. I started with the Virgin Mary and I end with the Virgin Mary."