continues..
As soon as the news of the creation of the work to be immersed on the seabed was released, there was a heartfelt and sincere request from the local population, inspired by religious reasons, for the placement of an identical statue on land for easy access and to stop for moments of reflection.
On August 7, 1994, in the presence of numerous divers, civil, military and religious authorities, after the blessing of the statues, the Divers of the ORSA MINORE Association of Lanciano placed one of the two examples of the
Christ of the Abyss on the seabed in front of the small port, at a depth of about 4 meters:
The statue was anchored on a majestic concrete base whose construction required considerable logistical and technical effort.
On land, a few steps from this information panel, at the entrance to the port, the second example of the statue was positioned to protect fishermen and devotees.
In the summer of 2018, the submerged statue was stolen. The shock and outcry caused by that sacrilegious gesture were great. The reactions were immediate, and after a few months of continuous research, they led to the discovery and repositioning of the "Christ of the Abyss" in its original location. The participation of the entire community was broad and highly emotional, testifying to the symbolic value assumed by the image of Christ.
To this day, the daring theft and the fortuitous discovery in the sea about 5 km away from the site remain a mystery.
To protect the statue, the cult and the traditions that have consolidated over time, the ASSOCIAZIONE CRISTO DEGLI ABISSI was established in 2020, which takes care of its exclusive management.
Every year in the month of AUGUST, the traditional festival of the Christ of the Abyss takes place with a celebratory mass accompanied by an evocative torchlight procession in the sea.