Big crosses are apparently big tourist attractions. Here is a list of the country’s and world’s largest crosses, ordered by height.
Crosses of the U.S.A.
St. Augustine, FL. Erected 1966. 208 feet tall. Commissioned by Catholic Archbishop Joseph P. Hurley and is part of the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche.
Effingham, Illinois. Erected July 2001. 198 feet tall. Surrounded by monuments dedicated to the Ten Commandments. The Cross Foundation was founded by John H. Schultz of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Parish to build and maintain the giant cross as well as do other charitable acts.
Groom, TX. Erected in July 1995. 190 feet tall. Surrounded by lifesize Stations of the Cross. Official site. Commissioned by Steve Thomas, devout Catholic who reportedly got tired of adult-oriented billboards along the highway and decided to make a bigger statement. His son is former Miami Dolphin, Zack Thomas.
James Potter’s Crosses. James Potter of Oneida, TN has built a series of tall crosses in Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina & Virginia. One near Knoxville is reportedly 110 feet tall and another in Caryville is 101.5 feet tall. The one in Loudon County, TN (100 feet; erected 2002) is on the property owned by New Providence Baptist Church. Victory Baptist Church has a 100 foot Potter cross, erected in 2005. As of January 2008, he is looking to build one in Knox County. Plans for the cross in Richmond, IN (New Creations Chapel, Inc.) were supplied by Potter.
There are similar crosses in Sugarlimb & La Follette, TN that may be Potter crosses as well.
Crosses of the World
Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos. Sierra de Guadarrama mountains near Madrid, Spain. “Holy Cross of the Valley of the Fallen“. 492 feet tall. This memorial for casualties of the Spanish Civil War was conceived by General Franco who is buried in the Catholic basilica in the same location.
Brandon's Notepad 