The idea of building a large statue atop Corcovado was first suggested in the mid-1850s, when Vincentian priest, Pedro Maria Boss, suggested placing a Christian monument on Mount Corcovado to honour Princess Isabel, princess regent of Brazil and the daughter of Emperor Pedro II; Princess Isabel did not act on this request. In 1889, the country became a republic and, with the official separation of state and church, the idea was dismissed