Construction begins on 180-foot Virgin Mary statue in Poland

Construction has begun on a 180-foot statue of the Virgin Mary in Konotopie, Poland.It’s believed that the project, once it is finished, will be the tallest religious structure of its kind, according to Wirtalny Toruń, the tourism group associated with the structure.The statue of Mary itself is to be 133.2-feet high, sitting atop a pedestal in the form of a 50-foot-high crown.The crown will form an observation serving as a place of pilgrimage.“Mary is the model of perfect love and obedience to Christ.God preserved Mary from sin, and she conceived our Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit, bringing Christ into our world,” writes catholicscomehome.org, a faith resource site.In a press release from Wirtalny Toruń, the group says there is sentimental meaning behind the location of the statue. “The location of the monument to the Virgin Mary is not accidental, it will stand in close proximity to the existing Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Konotopia,” said a press announcement released by the group.“It is there that there is a wonderful figure of Our Lady of Sorrows, where pilgrimages from all over the Dobrzyń Land have been coming for years,” the release said.The Virgin Mary statue would surpass other notable landmarks of faith worldwide.The Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, stands almost 100 feet tall, while Christ the King in Swiebodzin, Poland, stretches 108 feet high. The Statue of Liberty in New York City is the tallest statue in the U.S., stretching 151 feet and made to resemble the Roman goddess Libertas, according to news outlet The Collector.Construction work is expected to take approximately 18 months.Fox News Digital reached out to Wirtalny Toruń for comment....