Rising 36m in the air, Christ the King is said to be the tallest statue of Jesus in the world. Since 2010, it’s loomed over the residents of Świebodzin, Poland, and it’s apparently already getting some upgrades. Signal broadcasting equipment was recently spotted embedded in the statue’s crown, but no one’s quite sure what’s going on with Jesus 2.0.
The brainchild of a now-deceased local priest named Sylwester Zawadzki, Christ the King was crowdfunded with $US1.45 ($2) million in donations from residents of the town and elsewhere. According to Polish outlet Fakt 24, numerous local controversies have erupted since it was built and the latest could be walking a line between the sacred and the profane.
Fakt 24 noticed that antennas had been installed on top of Jesus’s head and obtained drone footage to get a good look at the equipment.
Gigantyczna figura Chrystusa ze Świebodzina skrywa w koronie coś, co pozwala na niej zarabiać: anteny ???????????? Z dołu ich nie widać, ale zobaczcie nagranie z drona oraz to, co udało się ustalić reporterom @FAKT24PL #Onet100 pic.twitter.com/l2VtvTZ8a4
— Onet100 (@Onet_100) April 24, 2018
Fakt 24 confirmed with an expert that the equipment does indeed appear to be intended for broadcasting an internet signal and the location would be a prime spot to maximise the signal’s range.
The reporters proceeded to contact the Divine Mercy Parish that oversees the statue to ask if the space on top of Jesus’s head is available for rent. A spokesperson said that wasn’t an option, prompting the reporters to ask what is going on with the antennas. The spokesperson said they knew nothing about it.
Things get even more confusing after that. According to the report, a source at an unnamed internet provider informed them that the antennas were a request from the parish. Sputnik translates the original Polish report:
He refused to disclose the details of the contract, but said that the local church needed the network for a video surveillance system, adding that the agreement is completely legal.
The source also said that the signal is relayed to other clients. The article seems to imply that the parish might be involved in some sort of effort to monetise the space within the crown of Jesus, but it’s all uncertain. And honestly, isn’t it better that this appearance of divine wireless internet remains a mystery? Maybe it’s a miracle.