Mysterious sculpture in the waters of San Fruttuoso

Christ of the Abyss became the dream come true of the famous diver Duilio Marchante in the sea waters near the bay of San Fruttuoso in Italy. Thus, he decided to perpetuate the memory of Dario Gonzatti, who drowned here. Gonzatti himself was one of the first Italian divers and the creator of scuba gear.

During one of his many dives in 1950, Duilio decided to install a sculpture on the seabed. Already on August 22, 1954, the statue of the Son of God was placed in the bay in front of San Fruttuoso, between Camogli and Portofino, near the Abbey of San Fruttuoso.

The height of the statue is 2.5 meters. Its creator was the sculptor Guido Galletti. At the moment, the statue is at a depth of 15 meters.

The figure was cast from commemorative medals, ship parts (for example, the US Navy donated submarine propellers), and bells. Due to severe corrosion, Christ was taken out of the sea for reconstruction in 2003, at the same time they restored the arm that had been broken off by the anchor, which was found by Enea Marrone.

After restoration in 2003, a new pedestal was built for Christ from the Abyss.

Diving to a depth of 15 meters can be mastered by even the most inexperienced diver, so anyone can see the sculpture with their own eyes. For those who do not want to or do not know how to scuba dive, there is a ground-based replica, which is located in the church of San Fruttuoso. And the original plaster cast of the statue is kept in Marina di Ravenna, the national museum of underwater activity.

The statue is cast from metal, so it is highly susceptible to corrosion.

There is a copy of the sculpture, it is located in Florida, Key Largo, at a depth of 8 meters. Another copy was placed in September 1972 in Lake Palu, as a protest against the depletion of the reservoir.