Smaller copy of the Alexander Column
The Alexander Column, 47.5 meters high and erected on Palace Square to commemorate Russia’s victory over Napoleon, was constructed according to a design by architect Auguste de Montferrand and a ceremonial unveiling was held on 30 August 1834. The shaft of the monument, a monolith carved from granite (3.6 meters in diameter at the base) was the heaviest of all such structures. The column, which is supported by its own weight, is crowned with a bronze angel with a cross. Nicholas I ordered that "the face of the deceased emperor Alexander I shall be given to the statue," hence the name of the monument. The base of the monument is decorated with bronze bas reliefs, glorifying the might of Russian weaponry in allegorical form.