The Alexander Column

One of the most photographed monuments in the Palace Square in the city of St. Petersburg, is the Alexander Column, which is the world's largest monolithic column. Its height is about 5th feet and was built between the years 1830 to 1834 in honor of the victories of the war with Napoleon. The column is made of red granite quarried near the town of Viborg and was moved on a barge so large that it had to be towed by two boats. The top of the column has a bronze angel said to have the face of Alexander I, with a cross crushing a serpent, symbolically representing the triumph of good over evil.