IT HAS long been one of the most romantic and photographed spots on the planet. Now the Brazilian Catholic Church is preparing to allow couples to get married under the outstretched arms of the iconic Christ Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

To mark the statue’s 75th anniversary on Thursday, Cardinal Eusébio Oscar Scheid, the Archbishop of Rio, will consecrate the small Nossa Senhora Aparecida chapel under the 125ft statue, opening the way for it to hold religious ceremonies such as baptisms and weddings.

The Art Deco-style Cristo Redentor sits on the 700m (2,330ft) mountain of Corcovado and is a world-recognised symbol of Rio, attracting hordes of tourists each year.

Now church authorities want to make it a place of pilgrimage as well. “We want Corcovado to become a sacred place, and not just a spot to view the beauties of Rio,” said Cardinal Scheid, announcing the move.

The location will offer an unbeatable backdrop for wedding pictures. From the viewing platform at the foot of the statue there is a panoramic view of what locals have nicknamed A Cidade Maravilhosa — the Marvellous City: an improbable mixture of urban metropolis, granite peaks and islands, rainforest and a string of bays and beaches such as Copacabana and Ipanema.

“It will provide a spectacular cinematic backdrop for any wedding. It is, after all, one of the most beautiful vistas in the world,” said Father Marcos William of the Rio Archdiocese.

The spot already attracts couples from around the world.

“It is one of the most romantic views on Earth,” said Mark Collins, from Dublin, who proposed to his fiancée Clodagh Neligan at the statue this year. “I think a ceremony there and a honeymoon in Rio would make for the perfect wedding.”

The Archdiocese says that foreign Catholics will be able to marry in the chapel. They must first go through pre-wedding formalities with their local church and then have the documentation sent to Rio.

Ceremonies will not start until January 2007 as the chapel is undergoing refurbishments and the Archdiocese says that it expects a huge demand. The site is in the running with 20 other monuments to be named one of the seven modern wonders of the world.

Anyone lucky enough to get permission to marry at the site will have to plan carefully for their guests. Private cars are not allowed up the final stretch of Corcovado and demand for the electric railway to the summit often means visitors have to queue for several hours.

The statue of Jesus looking down on Rio was inaugurated in 1931 and has become a visual shorthand for Brazil.

HIGH POINTS

Couples can marry in the Amazon rainforest with a shaman to bless their nuptials and a honeymoon festival based around the humisha — a palm tree with presents hung from it

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