The Christus - Personal Connections

The new symbol for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as introduced by President Russell M. Nelson predominantly features a depiction of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, from the Christus statue created by Danish Sculpture Bertel Thorvaldsen. The statue was created in 1821, so it is contemporary to the time of Joseph Smith's First Vision.

A quick history of the statue and its sculpture are on these pages:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christus_(statue)
https://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/digital/collection/EoM/id/5596
https://www.ldsliving.com/The-Christus-Legacy/s/4910
https://www.ldsliving.com/5-Things-You-Never-Knew-About-the-Christus-Statue/s/78222

As noted in these articles, Elder Richards traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark to see the original in the Church of Our Lady. Another story I read at one time mentioned that the Christus statue at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California was the first one he saw, prompting him to look to the original in Denmark.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Lawn_Memorial_Park_(Glendale)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_L._Eaton

Here's where it gets fun. My parents were married at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park chapel in Glendale on August 4, 1947. Dad said it's because the chapel was available for free. There were not many ward buildings at that time in the Los Angeles area, so it seems a reasonable choice. They then drove to Salt Lake City, Utah, where they were sealed 2-1/2 weeks later on Aug 21, 1947 in the Salt Lake Temple.

I have traveled to the beautiful city Copenhagen three times. On one of our trips there, Allison and I, with Winston and Stewart, visited the Church of Our Lady and we viewed the Christus, along with the statues of the Twelve Apostles. It was a delightful experience. My mind was reflective on a story I read of President Spencer W. Kimball visiting that same church and specifically his comment about the keys that Peter held in his hands.

https://scottwoodward.org/SpencerWKimball_keys_copenhagen.html

On a subsequent trip to Copenhagen in 2016, we visited Thorvaldsen's Museum, built to house many of his works in 1848. In that building are the original plasters of those same statues. Again, it was a touching visit, seeing all those beautiful works created at the hand of an inspired artist, which we now enjoy the fruits of his labors.

Most of all, I love the symbolism of the statue in representing our Lord and Savior, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.