Mother of All Asia: the world’s tallest statue of Mary stands in the Philippines

On the Philippine island of Luzon stands an extraordinary statue of the Virgin Mary. ‘Mother of All Asia – Tower of Peace’ was completed in 2021 and stands 98.15 metres tall. Its interior features chapels, conference rooms and restaurants, and the structure is crowned by an observation deck. It is the tallest statue of the Virgin Mary in the world.

The world’s tallest statue of Mary is 98 metres high

The Mother of All Asia is situated within the Montemaria International Pilgrimage & Conference Centre in Batangas City. The statue stands at the highest point of the local plateau, at an altitude of 148 metres above sea level. The statue of Mary itself, together with the building and the cross crowning it, stands at 98.15 metres, which corresponds to the height of approximately 33 storeys and the 33 years of Christ’s earthly life. The scale of the structure is particularly interesting when considered in relation to its function. ‘Mother of All Asia’ is not, in fact, a traditional statue set on a plinth. Its interior comprises approximately 12,353 square metres of usable space, which is why its creators describe it as the only ‘inhabited’ statue in the world. The ground floor houses the Sanctuary of St John Paul II, the third floor features Marian chapels, and higher up there are, amongst other things, a food court, conference rooms and flats. An observation deck has been set up on one of the top floors.

Mother of All Asia from the Philippines

Eduardo Castrillo, a Filipino sculptor and national artist, was responsible for the statue’s face and hands. He began work on these elements in 2008, and two years later they were complete. Before the tower itself was built, the face and hands were temporarily displayed for several years on the façade of another building within the sanctuary. Many elements of the ‘Mother of All Asia’ have symbolic significance. In addition to the 33 storeys already mentioned, the crown of the structure is adorned with 12 stars representing the apostles of Christ, whilst the base consists of 12 foundations symbolising the 12 tribes of Israel. The crown can be reached by three lifts, but those choosing the stairs must climb 420 steps – in this case, no reference to the Bible was made.

The world’s tallest statue of Mary – the story of its construction

The story of the entire project began even before the ground-breaking ceremony for the Mother of All Asia. The idea of creating a sanctuary in Montemaria was put forward by Father Fernando Suarez, who wished to establish a place of pilgrimage linked to his religious work – specifically, the healing ministry attributed to him by the faithful. In 2006, a five-hectare plot of land in Barangay Pagkilatan was donated for this purpose. The project was subsequently taken forward by local politician Hermilando Mandanas, and in 2013, Montemaria Asia Pilgrims Inc. was established. Construction of the Tower of Peace itself began shortly afterwards and was completed in 2021, during the celebrations marking the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines. The enormous structure was named ‘Mother of All Asia’, a reference to Pope Benedict XVI’s prayer to Our Lady of Sheshan, known as the Mother of the Church in China and throughout Asia.

‘Mother of All Asia’ taller than the statue in Konotop

At 98.15 metres, “Mother of All Asia” is the tallest Marian monument in the world. By comparison, the Polish “Our Lady of Mercy” in Konotop stands 55.6 metres tall including the base, whilst the statue itself measures 40.6 metres. The Philippine statue of the Mother of God is therefore over 42 metres taller than the Polish one. This significant difference stems primarily from its function. The Mother of All Asia is, in essence, a multi-storey, multi-functional structure concealed within the statue.

This places the Mother of All Asia at the intersection of sculpture, architecture and a sanctuary. A similar concept is hard to find amongst other massive depictions of Mary around the world, where gigantic statues usually stand on traditional plinths. In Batangas, this scale has been utilised commercially to create a fully-fledged place of pilgrimage. Its managers anticipate visitor numbers of up to one million a year in the long term.

Source: montemaria.com.ph

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