The processing of granite monuments was carried out by thousands of people for centuries, but the time factor played no decisive role since the aim was to make beautiful, precise, monumental and grandiose products.
The Greek civilization left a small number of granite products since marble was the Lord in ancient Hellas. It was used to build the world famous monuments in Athens. And yet, we have to mention Agamemnon’s tomb in Mycenae made of green porphyry.
The Romans, who used the knowledge and experience of their ancestors, improved granite processing and left many monuments and temples in Europe that, have been preserved until the present day.
During the Medieval Age and Renaissance no considerable progress was made in granite processing but that period was characterized by intensive construction. It was the time when the Saint Michel monastery in Bretan in France and the 15th century abbey were built up of granite elements.
It is necessary to note that in the 18th century, during the construction of Saint Petersburg, gracefully worked-out large-scale granite products were created. In 1782 a monument devoted to Peter the Great was raised with a basement of polished pink granite of weighing 1500 t, overlaid by a bronze group of horses.
The most spectacular granite monolith ever to have been raised by a human so far is the polished column of red granite, 3 m in diameter, 25 m in height, weighing 500 t and placed on a basement of polished granite with 6.5 m sides, 1.5 m in height and 150 t in weight. This monument is an exquisite work of art and decorates the Winter Palace Square, inspiring respect in modern man with its large scale.