Colombia’s answer to Brazil’s Christ the Redeemer is nearing completion as Monumento Santisimo – the centrepiece of a new US$23m (€17.7m, £14.2m) eco-park in Floridablanca in the north of the country – starts to take shape.

Slightly differentiating itself from the famous Brazilian statue built in the 1920s, Monumento Santisimo comprises a large statue of Jesus Christ with his left hand over his chest rather than outstretched. At around 40m (131ft) in height, it will be slightly larger in stature than the Brazilian version in Rio De Janeiro and is set to open along with the park at some point in 2015.

The giant statue has been shipped in pieces to the eco-park - photo: twitter.com/@KarinaAlvarezC

In addition to the towering religious statue – which will also include a lift to the top – the eco-park will feature an event hall to seat 3,000 people, a 1,380m (4,528ft) cable car, a restaurant, museum, conference room, shop, musical auditorium and a shopping mall.

The State of Santander has invested around US$23m (€17.7m, £14.2m) earned through oil royalties into the new eco-park, of which US$1.4m (€1m, £865,000) has been spent on the statue.

The project has not been without controversy, after allegations in Colombian newspaper El Tiempo claimed that there have been certain irregularities in the expeditions and environmental licenses acquired for the build relating to local councillors, while some critics have called the construction a “vanity project” and “waste of money that could be better spent elsewhere”.