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Hôtel des Invalides
Invalides aerial view.jpg
Aerial view of Les Invalides
Alternative names Les Invalides, Musée de l'Armée
General information
Type Museum, church, hospital, retirement home, mausoleum
Architectural style Baroque
Location Paris, France
Coordinates 48°51′18″N 2°18′45″E / 48.85500°N 2.31250°E / 48.85500; 2.31250
Construction started 1671
Completed 1706
Inaugurated 1678
Design and construction
Architect Libéral Bruant
Jules Hardouin-Mansart

The Hôtel des Invalides (which means "house of invalids" in English) is a large group of buildings in Paris, France. People often call it Les Invalides. It holds museums and monuments about France's military history. It also has a hospital and a home for retired soldiers. This was its first purpose.

Inside, you'll find the Musée de l'Armée, which is France's main military museum. There's also the Musée des Plans-Reliefs and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine. The complex includes a church, the Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides. Next to it is the famous Dôme des Invalides. This dome is the tallest church building in Paris, standing 107 meters (351 feet) high. It is now a special burial place for important French military leaders, especially Napoleon Bonaparte.

History of Les Invalides

Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, 140309 2
The Dôme des Invalides is 107 meters tall. It is decorated with 12.65 kg of gold leaf. It is a famous landmark in Paris.

King Louis XIV ordered the building of Les Invalides on November 24, 1670. He wanted a home and hospital for soldiers who were old or had been injured. The first architect was Libéral Bruant. The chosen spot was a flat area outside the city called the plain of Grenelle.

By 1676, the building was much larger. The front facing the Seine river was 196 meters (643 feet) wide. The whole complex had fifteen courtyards. The biggest one was the cour d'honneur, used for military parades.

The church and chapel parts of Les Invalides were designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart starting in 1676. He was inspired by his great-uncle's ideas for a royal chapel. The Dome church was meant to be a private chapel for the king. He could attend church services without mixing with the veterans.

The Dôme des Invalides is a great example of French Baroque architecture. It is 107 meters (351 feet) tall. It stands as a symbol of France's powerful monarchy. The inside of the dome was painted by Charles de La Fosse in 1705. The painting creates an amazing illusion.

Hardouin-Mansart also helped Bruant finish the veterans' chapel. This chapel is now called the church of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides. Soldiers living there had to attend daily church services. The Dome chapel was completed in 1706.

Les Invalides has been part of important moments in French history. On July 14, 1789, Parisian rioters stormed it. They took cannons and muskets to use against the Bastille later that day. Napoleon was buried under the Dome of the Invalides in a grand ceremony in 1840.

In the 1800s, the two churches were separated. Napoleon's tomb was built. A glass wall was put between the two chapels.

The building kept its main job as a home and hospital for military veterans until the early 1900s. In 1872, the Artillery Museum moved in. The Historical Museum of the Armies joined it in 1896. These two museums combined in 1905 to form the Musée de l'Armée. At that time, most veterans moved to smaller centers outside Paris. The building was too big for the fewer veterans who qualified.

Today, Les Invalides still cares for about one hundred elderly or injured former soldiers. The veterans' chapel is now the main church for the Diocese of the French Armed Forces. It is officially called Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides.

Architecture and Layout

Les Invalides is a huge and impressive building. Its design is a great example of Baroque style.

The plan of the Hôtel des Invalides

     Dome of Les Invalides      Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides      Musée de l'Armée      Musée des Plans-Reliefs      Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération

     Institution nationale des Invalides      Gouverneur des Invalides      Gouverneur militaire de Paris      Chancellerie de l'Ordre de la Libération      Office national des anciens combattants et victimes de guerre

  • 1. Cour d'honneur (Main Courtyard)
  • 2. Cour d'Angoulème
  • 3. Cour d'Austerlitz
  • 4. Cour de la Victoire
  • 5. Cour de la Valeur
  • 6. Cour de Mars
  • 7. Cour de Toulon
  • 8. Cour de Nismes
  • 9. Cour de Metz
  • 10. Cour de l'Infirmerie
  • 11. Cour d'Oran
  • 12. Cour de la Paix
  • 13. Cour d'Arles
  • 14. Cour d'Alger
  • 15. Cour Saint-Louis
  • 16. Cour Saint-Joseph
  • 17. Cour Saint-Jacques
Hôtel des Invalides, North View, Paris 7e 140402 1
The north front of the Invalides. You can see Hardouin-Mansart's Dome above Bruant's central block.

The Dome chapel is very large and stands out on the north side of Les Invalides. It fits well with Bruant's main entrance. To the north, a large public area called the Esplanade des Invalides stretches out. This is one of the grand open spaces in the center of Paris.

At the end of the esplanade, the Pont Alexandre III bridge connects to the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais. These are other famous Parisian buildings. The Pont des Invalides bridge is also nearby, further down the Seine river.

The buildings still house the National Institution of Invalides. This is a special place for disabled war veterans. It includes:

  • a retirement home for veterans.
  • a medical and surgical center for their care.
  • a center for medical check-ups.

Gallery

Famous Burials

Tomb of Napoleon (NW View)
The sarcophagus of Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon II Tomb
Tomb of Napoleon II at Les Invalides, Paris

The Dome chapel became a military burial place in 1800. Napoleon decided to move the tomb of a famous general, Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne, here. Later, Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban was also buried here.

A big change happened when the building was chosen to be Napoleon's tomb. This was made official by a law on June 10, 1840. King Louis-Philippe I wanted Napoleon's remains brought back to France. This event was called retour des cendres (the return of the ashes).

Building the crypt and Napoleon's huge tomb took twenty years. It was finished in 1861. By then, Napoleon III was emperor. He oversaw the ceremony of moving Napoleon's remains into the crypt under the dome.

Inside the Église du Dôme des Invalides

The most famous tomb at Les Invalides is that of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821). It was designed by Louis Visconti. Napoleon was first buried on Saint Helena island. But King Louis Philippe arranged for his body to be brought to France in 1840.

Napoleon's remains stayed in a chapel for over twenty years. His final resting place, a tomb made of red stone, was finished in 1861.

Other important military figures and members of Napoleon's family are also buried here:

Beneath the Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides

Many other military figures are buried in an underground area called the Caveau des Gouverneurs. This is beneath the Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides. It includes 82 military figures, such as 28 Governors of Les Invalides.

Some notable people buried here are:

Two of these, Gabriel Malleterre and Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, also have special plaques inside the Saint-Louis-des-Invalides cathedral. Another plaque honors Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (1889–1952). He was a Marshal of France and a commander in World War II.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Los Inválidos para niños

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