Lux Mundi

Monroe, Ohio, United States

Public art

✓

Current

Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

Lux Mundi is a full-length statue of Jesus walking on water, reported in 2024 beside Interstate 75 at Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio. Designed by sculptor Tom Tsuchiya and dedicated in September 2012, it replaced a statue destroyed by lightning in 2010 and is reported as 52 feet tall.

Private to your Passport.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

No recommended arrival yet

We have not checked a recommended place to arrive or stop here yet.

This takes you to the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Lux Mundi

This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

39.45384° N, 84.32655° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

Drivers on Interstate 75 near Cincinnati have long had a giant figure of Jesus to look at, and the statue reported there in 2024 is the second. Lux Mundi, Latin for “Light of the World”, was reported in 2024 to stand in front of the sanctuary at Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, beside a lake the church owns.

The first statue, named King of Kings by the church, was built in 2004 and showed Jesus from the torso up with arms raised. The Christian Post reported that it was nicknamed “Touchdown Jesus” for the position of the arms. A lightning strike in a storm in June 2010 set it on fire, and NBC News described it as six stories tall. The Christian Post reported that only a heavily damaged iron frame remained, and that part of the church’s amphitheater was also burned.

The replacement was designed by Tom Tsuchiya, an independent Cincinnati-area sculptor. It shows a full-length Jesus walking on the lake with arms reaching forward rather than raised. It was put in place in September 2012 and dedicated at a Sunday evening service on September 30, 2012. The church’s administrator told the Christian Post that the materials are fire rated and that a lightning suppression system is part of the statue. According to the Christian Post, about half a dozen protesters outside the church gate before the dedication said they were Christians against idol worship.

Reports differ on the height. The Christian Post gave 52 feet in its dedication report but 62 feet, the predecessor’s height, in its completion report, and the Dayton Daily News (via Yahoo) in 2024 gave 52 feet. The Dayton Daily News (via Yahoo) also listed informal nicknames for the statue, including “Hug Me Jesus”.

A June 2024 Dayton Daily News report, carried by Yahoo, described it as a landmark beside Interstate 75. The lake in front of the sanctuary belongs to the church, so check with Solid Rock Church before planning a closer visit.

Add a photo

PRACTICAL

Plan your stop

WHAT TO EXPECT

A June 2024 report placed it beside Interstate 75, in front of the church sanctuary and a lake the church owns. It is a landmark on church property rather than a ticketed attraction.

ACCESS

Solid Rock Church property beside Interstate 75 at Monroe, Ohio, as reported in 2024; check with the church before visiting.

COMMUNITY