Les Invalides

Les Invalides or the Hôtel national des Invalides is not just a place of architectural value, just another site in a series of many that serve as tourist catches. It is a site of great national importance for all French and will remain as such in the centuries to come. As in many cases in the French capital, the story of the place starts back in the time of the Sun King, Louis XIV. A great king and a great builder like Louis in a time of frequent warfare and insufficient social welfare could not possibly overlook the problem of wounded and aged veterans that had no family to support them.

The home and hospital for the disabled and poor veterans started its operation in 1676 after six years of construction. Between 1676 and 1690 the hotel would tend to more than six thousand soldiers. By the year 1708 the Église du Dôme, the royal chapel with the golden dome was in place giving the hospital all the grandeur of its kind, with an original purpose to serve as the official burial chapel of the royal family. Its massive size allowed for some of its space to be used as a munition storehouse, one that the revolted Parisians would storm to take the Bastille in 1789.

The two churches of the Invalides were also stripped from all valuables by the revolutionaries before they were restored to their former glory by Napoleon who chose the church of the Dome for the ceremony of the first Legions of honor. It was only fitting for this church to be chosen as the official burial place of Napoleon after the decision the repatriation of his remains from the island of St. Helena.

The excavation and erection of Napoleon’s crypt were assigned to Louis Visconti who completely modified the interior of the church for the tomb to be placed below the dome. The Tomb pays tribute to the Emperor’s military feats with twelve huge Victory statues that stand against the pillars of the crypt and ten white marble bas-reliefs showing episodes from Napoleon’s reign. At the center lies Napoleon’s ornate sarcophagus carved from red stone. Over the tomb stands a statue by Simart representing Napoleon as a Roman emperor.

Today aside from Napoleon’s tomb and some of the Emperor’s iconic personal objects like his sword at Austerlitz and his hats that are displayed on the second floor, Les Invalides is also home to the Musée de l’Armée (Army Museum), one of the biggest museums of military art and history in the world. It stretches over 12,000 square meters and covers military history from the early Middle Ages to the Second World War, featuring more than 500 000 military items. Its spaces are divided in :

• The Main Courtyard and artillery collections.
• The old department, old armor, and weapons from the 13th – 17th century.
• The modern department, from Louis XIV to Napoleon III, 1643 – 1870.
• The extraordinary cabinets
• The Dôme des Invalides, tomb of Napoleon I.
• The contemporary department, the two World Wars 1871 – 1945.
• The Charles de Gaulle Monument.
• The Cathedral of Saint-Louis des Invalides.