It was erected as part of the Egyptian government’s development of the ‘Holy Family Route’.
ACN.- The Egyptian authorities have unveiled a nine-meter high statue of the Virgin Mary. We are talking about the largest bronze sculpture in Egypt, which was erected on the church of Dronkaen, in the southern province of Asiut. According to the church’s Facebook page, the statue was erected as part of the Egyptian government’s development of the ‘Holy Family Route’. It also encompasses around twenty destinations, such as caves, trees or churches, located in the North Sinai (northeastern), Cairo and the southern provinces of Minia and Asiut, among others. The unveiling of the gigantic statue, three meters wide and cast in bronze, was inspired by the 8.5 meter high statue of «Our Lady of Lebanon», located in the Lebanese town of Harisa.
Cast in bronze and weighing ten tons
According to the church’s website, the image was sculpted by sculpture professor at Minia University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, Gerges Said al Gawli. He began working on the project a year ago and made several foam mock-ups before starting his final work. «The statue was cast in bronze and weighs ten tons, and is considered the largest bronze statue in Egypt,» the sculptor assured local media.
His work had to be built in parts and then assembled because it did not fit in any workshop or warehouse in the area, according to Al Gawli. He also indicated that it is empty inside to «save on materials and to make it lightweight for easy disassembly, transport and installation.» For her part, Egypt’s former Minister of Immigration Nabila Makram, who attended the unveiling, said on Facebook that the statue was cut into more than 20 parts.Why? To be transported to a foundry belonging to a Muslim family in Cairo for finishing.