National monuments in the broadest sense are large sculptural or architectural objects that symbolically evoke a community that perceives itself as a nation, or are themselves intended to engender such an “imagined order.” They may express a society’s understanding of itself and serve the public dissemination of political, cultural, and social values or ideas by calling to mind historical figures, groups, and events or representing an idea. Such sacral places of commemoration may be structures of a wide range of types, including columns, temples, or churches.

Modern nationalism …