Construction is underway on a 180-foot-tall statue of the Virgin Mary in Konotop, Poland. According to tourism group Wirtalny Torun, the statue is expected to be the tallest religious structure when completed.

The statue will be 132.2 feet tall and will be topped with a 50-foot crown. The crown on the Virgin Mary's head will serve as an observation deck and a place of pilgrimage.

CatholicsComeHome.org describes Mary as "a model of Christ's perfect love and devotion" and says, "God freed Mary from sin, and Mary conceived our Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit, bringing Christ into our world."

The location of the statue of the Virgin Mary carries a deep meaning, according to a press release from Wirtalny Torun. "The location of the monument to the statue is not accidental," it said. "The statue will be located near the Sanctuary of the Virgin Mary in Konotop."

The site has long been a pilgrimage site. Once completed, the statue of the Virgin Mary will be taller than several well-known religious landmarks.

The Christ the Redeemer statue, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is about 100 feet tall, while Christ the King is 108 feet tall.

The tallest statue in the world is the Statue of Unity, located in Gujarat, India. It is about 182 meters (597 feet) tall. The statue was built in honor of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a leader of the Indian independence movement and the country's first Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of State.

The statue was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 31 October 2018, on the occasion of his 143rd birth anniversary. The statue was built on the Narmada River, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam. It cost around US$422 million to build and took 33 months to complete.