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{{About|the area in Paris|the Paris metro station serving it|Invalides (Paris Métro and RER)}}
{{About|the area in Paris|the Paris metro station serving it|Invalides (Paris Métro and RER)}}
{{Infobox building
{{Infobox building
| name                 = Hôtel des Invalides
| name             = Hôtel des Invalides
| native_name         =
| native_name     =  
| image               = [[File:Hôtel des Invalides from the Eiffel Tower, 23 July 2009.jpg|250px]]
| image           = [[File:Hôtel des Invalides from the Eiffel Tower, 23 July 2009.jpg|250px]]
| caption             = view of {{lang|fr|Les Invalides|italic=no}} from Eiffel Tower
| caption         = View of Les Invalides from the [[Eiffel Tower]]
| alternate_names     = {{lang|fr|Les Invalides|italic=no}}, Musée de l'Armée
| alternate_names = {{lang|fr|Les Invalides|italic=no}}, Musée de l'Armée
| building_type       = [[Musée de l'Armée|Museum]], church, hospital, [[retirement home]], [[mausoleum]]
| building_type   = [[Musée de l'Armée|Museum]], church, hospital, [[retirement home]], [[mausoleum]]
| architectural_style = [[French Baroque architecture|Baroque]]
| architectural_style = [[French Baroque architecture|Baroque]]
| location             = [[Paris]], France
| location         = [[Paris]], France
| start_date           = 1671
| start_date       = 1671
| completion_date     = 1706
| completion_date = 1706
| inauguration_date   = 1678
| inauguration_date = 1678
| architect           = [[Libéral Bruant]] <br /> [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart]]
| architect       = [[Libéral Bruant]] <br /> [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart]]
| website             =
| website         =  
| coordinates         = {{WikidataCoord|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates     = {{WikidataCoord|display=inline,title}}
}}
}}


The '''Hôtel des Invalides''' ({{IPA|fr|o.tɛl dez ɛ̃valid}}; {{lit|House of the Invalids}}), commonly called '''{{lang|fr|Les Invalides|italic=no}}''' ({{IPA|fr|lez ɛ̃valid}}; {{lit|The Invalids}}), is a complex of buildings in the [[7th arrondissement of Paris]], France, containing [[museum]]s and [[monument]]s, all relating to the [[military history of France]], as well as a hospital and an [[Old soldiers' home|old soldiers']] [[retirement home]], the building's original purpose. The buildings house the [[Musée de l'Armée]], the museum of the Army of France, the [[Musée des Plans-Reliefs]], and the [[Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine]]. The complex also includes the [[Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, Paris|Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides]], the national cathedral of the French military. It is adjacent to the Royal Chapel known as the {{lang|fr|Dôme des Invalides}}, the tallest church building in Paris at a height of 107 meters.<ref name="ParisDigest">{{Cite web |year= |title=Paris facts |url=https://www.parisdigest.com/paris/paris-facts.htm |access-date=2018-09-19 |publisher=Paris Digest}}</ref> The latter has been converted into a shrine to some of France's leading military figures, most notably the [[Napoleon's tomb|tomb of Napoleon]].<ref name=Musee>{{cite web|title=Les tombeaux et monuments funéraires |website=Musée de l'Armée |url=https://www.musee-armee.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/Documents/Support-Visite-Fiches-Presentation/dome-tombes.pdf}}</ref>
The '''Hôtel des Invalides''' ({{IPA|fr|o.tɛl dez ɛ̃valid}}; {{lit|House of Invalids}}), commonly called '''{{lang|fr|les Invalides|italic=no}}''' ({{IPA|fr|lez ɛ̃valid}}; {{lit|the Invalids}}), is a complex of buildings in the [[7th arrondissement of Paris]], France, containing [[museum]]s and [[monument]]s, all relating to the [[military history of France]], as well as a hospital and an [[Old soldiers' home|old soldiers']] [[retirement home]], the building's original purpose. The buildings house the [[Musée de l'Armée]], the museum of the Army of France, the [[Musée des Plans-Reliefs]], and the [[Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine]]. The complex also includes the [[Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, Paris|Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides]], the national cathedral of the French military. It is adjacent to the Royal Chapel known as the {{lang|fr|Dôme des Invalides}}, the tallest church building in Paris at a height of 107 metres.<ref name="ParisDigest">{{Cite web |year= |title=Paris facts |url=https://www.parisdigest.com/paris/paris-facts.htm |access-date=2018-09-19 |publisher=Paris Digest}}</ref> The latter has been converted into a shrine to some of France's leading military figures, most notably the [[Napoleon's tomb|tomb of Napoleon]].<ref name=Musee>{{cite web|title=Les tombeaux et monuments funéraires |website=Musée de l'Armée |url=https://www.musee-armee.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/Documents/Support-Visite-Fiches-Presentation/dome-tombes.pdf}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
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[[Louis XIV]] initiated the project by an order dated 24 November 1670 to create a home and hospital for aged and disabled ({{lang|fr|invalide}}) soldiers, the veterans of his many military campaigns.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.citibreak.fr/the-paris-army-museum-hotel-des-invalides/|title=The Paris Army Museum – Hôtel des Invalides|work=citibreak.fr|access-date=29 September 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150227043055/http://blog.citibreak.fr/the-paris-army-museum-hotel-des-invalides/|archive-date=27 February 2015}}</ref> The initial architect of {{lang|fr|Les Invalides|italic=no}} was [[Libéral Bruant]]. The selected site was in the then suburban plain of Grenelle (''plaine de Grenelle''). By the time the enlarged project was completed in 1676, the façade fronting the [[Seine]] measured {{convert|196|m|ft}} in width, and the complex had fifteen courtyards, the largest being the [[cour d'honneur]] designed for military parades. The church-and-chapel complex of the Invalides was designed by [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart]] in 1676, taking inspiration from his great-uncle [[François Mansart]]'s design for a {{ill|Chapelle des Bourbons|fr}} to be built behind the chancel of the [[Basilica of Saint-Denis]], the French monarch's necropolis since ancient times. Several projects were submitted in the mid-1660s by both Mansart and [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini]], who was residing in Paris at the time. Mansart's second project is very close to Hardouin-Mansart's concept of the Royal Chapel or Dome Church at {{lang|fr|Les Invalides|italic=no}}, both in terms of its architecture and of its relationship with the adjacent church. Architectural historian [[Allan Braham]] has hypothesized that the domed chapel was initially intended to be a new burial place for the Bourbon Dynasty, but that project was not implemented.<ref>{{citation|title=L'Eglise du Dome |author=Allan J. Braham |journal=Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes |volume=23:3/4 |date=July–December 1960 |issue=3/4 |pages=216–224 |publisher=The Warburg Institute |doi=10.2307/750592 |jstor=750592 |s2cid=195018409 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/750592|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Instead, the massive building was designated as the private chapel of the monarch, which was attached to the Cathedral attended by the veterans. The Dôme des Invalides remains as one of the prime exemplars of [[French Baroque architecture]], at {{convert|107|m|ft}} high, and also as an iconic symbol of France's [[absolute monarchy]].
[[Louis XIV]] initiated the project by an order dated 24 November 1670 to create a home and hospital for aged and disabled ({{lang|fr|invalide}}) soldiers, the veterans of his many military campaigns.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.citibreak.fr/the-paris-army-museum-hotel-des-invalides/|title=The Paris Army Museum – Hôtel des Invalides|work=citibreak.fr|access-date=29 September 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150227043055/http://blog.citibreak.fr/the-paris-army-museum-hotel-des-invalides/|archive-date=27 February 2015}}</ref> The initial architect of {{lang|fr|Les Invalides|italic=no}} was [[Libéral Bruant]]. The selected site was in the then suburban plain of Grenelle (''plaine de Grenelle''). By the time the enlarged project was completed in 1676, the façade fronting the [[Seine]] measured {{convert|196|m|ft}} in width, and the complex had fifteen courtyards, the largest being the [[cour d'honneur]] designed for military parades. The church-and-chapel complex of the Invalides was designed by [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart]] in 1676, taking inspiration from his great-uncle [[François Mansart]]'s design for a {{ill|Chapelle des Bourbons|fr}} to be built behind the chancel of the [[Basilica of Saint-Denis]], the French monarch's necropolis since ancient times. Several projects were submitted in the mid-1660s by both Mansart and [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini]], who was residing in Paris at the time. Mansart's second project is very close to Hardouin-Mansart's concept of the Royal Chapel or Dome Church at {{lang|fr|Les Invalides|italic=no}}, both in terms of its architecture and of its relationship with the adjacent church. Architectural historian [[Allan Braham]] has hypothesized that the domed chapel was initially intended to be a new burial place for the Bourbon Dynasty, but that project was not implemented.<ref>{{citation|title=L'Eglise du Dome |author=Allan J. Braham |journal=Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes |volume=23:3/4 |date=July–December 1960 |issue=3/4 |pages=216–224 |publisher=The Warburg Institute |doi=10.2307/750592 |jstor=750592 |s2cid=195018409 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/750592|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Instead, the massive building was designated as the private chapel of the monarch, which was attached to the Cathedral attended by the veterans. The Dôme des Invalides remains as one of the prime exemplars of [[French Baroque architecture]], at {{convert|107|m|ft}} high, and also as an iconic symbol of France's [[absolute monarchy]].


The interior of the dome was painted by [[Charles Le Brun|Le Brun]]'s disciple [[Charles de La Fosse]] with a Baroque [[illusionistic ceiling painting]]. The painting was completed in 1705.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.musee-armee.fr/en/collections/museum-treasures/object.html?tx_mdaobjects_object%5Bobject%5D=576&tx_mdaobjects_object%5BidContentPortfolio%5D=537&tx_mdaobjects_object%5Baction%5D=show&tx_mdaobjects_object%5Bcontroller%5D=Object&cHash=3de2ac9a42555d48a3003366102d4385|title=Apotheosis of Saint Louis – Musée de l'Armée|website=www.musee-armee.fr|language=en|access-date=2017-01-27}}</ref>
The interior of the dome was painted by [[Charles Le Brun|Le Brun]]'s disciple [[Charles de La Fosse]] with a Baroque [[illusionistic ceiling painting]]. The painting was completed in 1705.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.musee-armee.fr/en/collections/museum-treasures/object.html?tx_mdaobjects_object%5Bobject%5D=576&tx_mdaobjects_object%5BidContentPortfolio%5D=537&tx_mdaobjects_object%5Baction%5D=show&tx_mdaobjects_object%5Bcontroller%5D=Object&cHash=3de2ac9a42555d48a3003366102d4385|title=Apotheosis of Saint Louis – Musée de l'Armée|website=www.musee-armee.fr|language=en|access-date=2017-01-27|archive-date=2017-02-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202034548/http://www.musee-armee.fr/en/collections/museum-treasures/object.html?tx_mdaobjects_object%5Bobject%5D=576&tx_mdaobjects_object%5BidContentPortfolio%5D=537&tx_mdaobjects_object%5Baction%5D=show&tx_mdaobjects_object%5Bcontroller%5D=Object&cHash=3de2ac9a42555d48a3003366102d4385|url-status=dead}}</ref>


Meanwhile, Hardouin-Mansart assisted the aged Bruant with the [[Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, Paris]], which was finished to Bruant's design after the latter died in 1697. Daily attendance of the veterans in the church services was required. Shortly after the veterans' chapel was started, Louis XIV commissioned Mansart to construct a separate private royal chapel, now named its most striking feature. The Dome chapel was finished in 1706.
Meanwhile, Hardouin-Mansart assisted the aged Bruant with the [[Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, Paris]], which was finished to Bruant's design after the latter died in 1697. Daily attendance of the veterans in the church services was required. Shortly after the veterans' chapel was started, Louis XIV commissioned Mansart to construct a separate private royal chapel, now named its most striking feature. The Dome chapel was finished in 1706.
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The building retained its primary function as a retirement home and hospital for military veterans (''invalides'') until the early twentieth century. In 1872, the musée d'artillerie (Artillery Museum) was located within the building to be joined by the musée historique des armées (Historical Museum of the Armies) in 1896. The two institutions were merged to form the present musée de l'armée in 1905. At the same time, the veterans in residence were dispersed to smaller centres outside Paris. The reason was that adopting a mainly conscript army after 1872 meant a substantial reduction in the number of veterans having the twenty or more years of military service formerly required to enter the Hôpital des Invalides. The building accordingly became too large for its original purpose. The modern complex does, however, still include the facilities detailed below for about a hundred elderly or incapacitated former soldiers.
The building retained its primary function as a retirement home and hospital for military veterans (''invalides'') until the early twentieth century. In 1872, the musée d'artillerie (Artillery Museum) was located within the building to be joined by the musée historique des armées (Historical Museum of the Armies) in 1896. The two institutions were merged to form the present musée de l'armée in 1905. At the same time, the veterans in residence were dispersed to smaller centres outside Paris. The reason was that adopting a mainly conscript army after 1872 meant a substantial reduction in the number of veterans having the twenty or more years of military service formerly required to enter the Hôpital des Invalides. The building accordingly became too large for its original purpose. The modern complex does, however, still include the facilities detailed below for about a hundred elderly or incapacitated former soldiers.


When the Army Museum at {{lang|fr|Les Invalides|italic=no}} was founded in 1905, the veterans' chapel was placed under its administrative control. It is now the cathedral of the [[Diocese of the French Armed Forces]], officially known as Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides.<ref>Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides [http://www.musee-armee.fr/en/collections/museum-spaces/cathedral-of-saint-louis-des-invalides.html (online)], accessed 16 October 2015</ref>
When the Army Museum at {{lang|fr|Les Invalides|italic=no}} was founded in 1905, the veterans' chapel was placed under its administrative control. It is now the cathedral of the [[Diocese of the French Armed Forces]], officially known as Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides.<ref>Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides [http://www.musee-armee.fr/en/collections/museum-spaces/cathedral-of-saint-louis-des-invalides.html (online)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225102107/http://www.musee-armee.fr/en/collections/museum-spaces/cathedral-of-saint-louis-des-invalides.html |date=2013-02-25 }}, accessed 16 October 2015</ref>


===2024 Olympic venue===
===2024 Olympic venue===
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File:Paris - Les Invalides - Façade nord - Statue de Minerve - PA00088714 - 004.jpg|The portal is guarded by a statue of the Goddess [[Minerva]]
File:Paris - Les Invalides - Façade nord - Statue de Minerve - PA00088714 - 004.jpg|The portal is guarded by a statue of the Goddess [[Minerva]]
File:North portal of Hôtel des Invalides, Paris 11 June 2013.jpg|The north portal, depicting Louis XIV on horseback
File:North portal of Hôtel des Invalides, Paris 11 June 2013.jpg|The north portal, depicting Louis XIV on horseback
File:Paris - Les Invalides - Façade nord - 005.jpg|Statue of Mars, the God of War, by the north portal
File:Paris - Les Invalides - Façade nord - 005.jpg|Statue of Mars, the Roman god of war, by the north portal
</gallery>
</gallery>


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File:Paris Dôme des Invalides interior Pendentif.jpg|A mural by [[Charles de la Fosse]]
File:Paris Dôme des Invalides interior Pendentif.jpg|A mural by [[Charles de la Fosse]]
</gallery>
</gallery>
The Dome is the tallest and most famous of the buildings of Les Invalides.  Designed by [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart]],  it takes the form of a Greek cross, on a square plan. Each of the facades is composed of two orders superimposed. The porch is topped by triangular fronton. It is crowned by a dome 90 meters, high, surmounted by lantern bringing the height to 107 meters (351 feet), making it taller than [[Notre Dame de Paris]] and the tallest of all Paris church domes.<ref name="ReferenceA">"Histoire de ;l'hotel des Invalides: La coupole du Dome par Charles de Fosse", published on-line by the Musee d'Armee.</ref>
The Dome is the tallest and most famous of the buildings of Les Invalides.  Designed by [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart]],  it takes the form of a Greek cross, on a square plan. Each of the facades is composed of two orders superimposed. The porch is topped by triangular fronton. It is crowned by a dome 90 metres, high, surmounted by lantern bringing the height to 107 metres (351 feet), making it taller than [[Notre Dame de Paris]] and the tallest of all Paris church domes.<ref name="ReferenceA">"Histoire de ;l'hotel des Invalides: La coupole du Dome par Charles de Fosse", published on-line by the Musee d'Armee.</ref>


The dome is actually composed of two domes superimposed. The lower dome is largely open at the base, allowed the visitors below to see the art painted on the dome above by [[Charles de La Fosse]]. The windows are masked by the lower dome, which permits natural lighting and gives the impression that viewers are actually seeing the sky, a popular Baroque affect.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
The dome is actually composed of two domes superimposed. The lower dome is largely open at the base, allowed the visitors below to see the art painted on the dome above by [[Charles de La Fosse]]. The windows are masked by the lower dome, which permits natural lighting and gives the impression that viewers are actually seeing the sky, a popular Baroque affect.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>


The interior of the dome is divided into two separate churches;  beneath the dome is the chapel that was used, on rare occasions, by the royal family. Attached to there dome is a separate church, the [[Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, Paris]], which was used by the veterans who lived at Les Invalides. They were required to attend daily services in the church.
The interior of the dome is divided into two separate churches;  beneath the dome is the chapel that was used, on rare occasions, by the royal family. Attached to the dome is a separate church, the [[Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, Paris]], which was used by the veterans who lived at Les Invalides. They were required to attend daily services in the church.


The painting inside the dome by Charles de la Fosse depicts Saint Louis presenting his sword to Christ and the angels. In the center of the composition, God and the Virgin are surrounded by angel musicians. Saint Louis carries the symbols of royalty; a crown, a garden with flour-des-lys emblems, and a royal mantle. To the right of Christ are placed the symbols of the passion and the suffering of Christ; the cross, nails, a lance, and the crown of thorns.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
The painting inside the dome by Charles de la Fosse depicts Saint Louis presenting his sword to Christ and the angels. In the centre of the composition, God and the Virgin are surrounded by angel musicians. Saint Louis carries the symbols of royalty; a crown, a garden with flour-des-lys emblems, and a royal mantle. To the right of Christ are placed the symbols of the passion and the suffering of Christ; the cross, nails, a lance, and the crown of thorns.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>


[[Charles de la Fosse]] (1636-1716), a student of [[Le Brun]], was one of the leading painters of the Academy, whose work is also found in the [[Palace of Versailles]]. Jules Hardouin Mansard, in charge of all the decoration of the dome, asked La Fosse to decorate the cupola and the pendentives with paintings of the four Evangelists.  In the same period, he decorated the salons of Diane and Apollo at the [[Palace of Versailles]].
[[Charles de la Fosse]] (1636-1716), a student of [[Le Brun]], was one of the leading painters of the Academy, whose work is also found in the [[Palace of Versailles]]. Jules Hardouin Mansard, in charge of all the decoration of the dome, asked La Fosse to decorate the cupola and the pendentives with paintings of the four Evangelists.  In the same period, he decorated the salons of Diane and Apollo at the [[Palace of Versailles]].
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The cathedral has a particularly fine organ, made between 1679 and 1687, with a vert elaborate case with sculpture designed by architect [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart]].
The cathedral has a particularly fine organ, made between 1679 and 1687, with a vert elaborate case with sculpture designed by architect [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart]].


=== The Courtyard of Honor ===
=== The Courtyard of Honour ===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Cour d'honneur des Invalides 001.jpg|Courtyard of Honor, with the Dome behind it. The Army Museum is on the left.
File:Cour d'honneur des Invalides 001.jpg|Courtyard of Honour, with the Dome behind it. The Army Museum is on the left.
File:Donald J. Trump and President Emmanuel Macron, July 13, 2017 (01).jpg|President Macron welcomes President Trump to Les Invalides (July 17, 2017)
File:Donald J. Trump and President Emmanuel Macron, July 13, 2017 (01).jpg|President Macron welcomes President Trump to Les Invalides (July 17, 2017)
File:Paris - Les Invalides - Cour d'honneur - La statue de Napoléon - 001.jpg|Entrance to the Army Museum on the Courtyard of Honor
File:Paris - Les Invalides - Cour d'honneur - La statue de Napoléon - 001.jpg|Entrance to the Army Museum on the Courtyard of Honour
File:Statue aux invalides.jpg|Statue of Napoleon overlooking the courtyard  
File:Statue aux invalides.jpg|Statue of Napoleon overlooking the courtyard  
File:Cannons of Les Invalides - 1 (4102586114).jpg|Cannons on display in the courtyard
File:Cannons of Les Invalides - 1 (4102586114).jpg|Cannons on display in the courtyard
</gallery>
</gallery>


The organ of the cathedral is particularly notable. It was made by the organ-builder of the King, Alexandre Thierry, between 1679 and 1687, and has undergone several restorations.  The elabroate buffet with sculpture was made in 1683. It was specially designed for the church by the architect, [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart]].
The organ of the cathedral is particularly notable. It was made by the organ-builder of the King, Alexandre Thierry, between 1679 and 1687, and has undergone several restorations.  The elaborate buffet with sculpture was made in 1683. It was specially designed for the church by the architect, [[Jules Hardouin-Mansart]].


== The French Army Museum ==
== The French Army Museum ==
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[[File:Napoleon II Tomb.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Napoleon II at Les Invalides, Paris]]
[[File:Napoleon II Tomb.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Napoleon II at Les Invalides, Paris]]


The Dome chapel became a military necropolis when [[Napoleon]] in September 1800 designated it for the relocation of the tomb of Louis XIV's celebrated general [[Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne|Turenne]], followed in 1807–1808 by [[Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban|Vauban]].<ref name=Musee/> In 1835, the underground gallery below the church received the remains of 14 victims of the [[Giuseppe Marco Fieschi]]'s failed assassination attempt on [[Louis-Philippe I]]. The significant development came with the building's designation to become [[Napoleon's tomb]] by a law of 10 June 1840, as part of the political project of the {{lang|fr|[[retour des cendres]]}} orchestrated by king [[Louis-Philippe I]] and his minister [[Adolphe Thiers]] (the reference to Napoleon's {{lang|fr|cendres}} or "ashes" is actually to his mortal remains, as he had not been cremated).<ref>{{cite web|language=en|title=Napoleon's tomb facts|url=https://www.parisdigest.com/monument/napoleon-grave.htm|access-date=September 1, 2018}}</ref> The creation of the crypt and of Napoleon's massive sarcophagus took twenty years to complete and was finished in 1861.<ref>[http://www.musee-armee.fr/en/collections/museum-spaces/dome-des-invalides-tomb-of-napoleon-i.html Dôme des Invalides, tomb of Napoleon I], accessed 18 October 2015</ref><ref>[http://www.musee-armee.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/Langues/Brochures/MA_Depliant_en.pdf Musée de l'Armée Invalides – Brochure], accessed 18 October 2015</ref> By then, it was emperor [[Napoleon III]] who was in power and oversaw the ceremony of the transfer of the remains of his uncle from a chapel of the church to the crypt beneath the dome.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Final burial of the mortal remains of Emperor Napoleon I at the Eglise des Invalides, 2 April 1861 |url=https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/articles/final-burial-of-the-mortal-remains-of-emperor-napoleon-i-eglise-des-invalides/ |access-date=2022-10-11 |website=napoleon.org |language=en-US}}</ref>
The Dome chapel became a military necropolis when [[Napoleon]] in September 1800 designated it for the relocation of the tomb of Louis XIV's celebrated general [[Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne|Turenne]], followed in 1807–1808 by [[Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban|Vauban]].<ref name=Musee/> In 1835, the underground gallery below the church received the remains of 14 victims of the [[Giuseppe Marco Fieschi]]'s failed assassination attempt on [[Louis-Philippe I]]. The significant development came with the building's designation to become [[Napoleon's tomb]] by a law of 10 June 1840, as part of the political project of the {{lang|fr|[[retour des cendres]]}} orchestrated by king [[Louis-Philippe I]] and his minister [[Adolphe Thiers]] (the reference to Napoleon's {{lang|fr|cendres}} or "ashes" is actually to his mortal remains, as he had not been cremated).<ref>{{cite web|language=en|title=Napoleon's tomb facts|url=https://www.parisdigest.com/monument/napoleon-grave.htm|access-date=September 1, 2018}}</ref> The creation of the crypt and of Napoleon's massive sarcophagus took twenty years to complete and was finished in 1861.<ref>[http://www.musee-armee.fr/en/collections/museum-spaces/dome-des-invalides-tomb-of-napoleon-i.html Dôme des Invalides, tomb of Napoleon I] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225091604/http://www.musee-armee.fr/en/collections/museum-spaces/dome-des-invalides-tomb-of-napoleon-i.html |date=2013-02-25 }}, accessed 18 October 2015</ref><ref>[http://www.musee-armee.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/Langues/Brochures/MA_Depliant_en.pdf Musée de l'Armée Invalides – Brochure], accessed 18 October 2015</ref> By then, it was emperor [[Napoleon III]] who was in power and oversaw the ceremony of the transfer of the remains of his uncle from a chapel of the church to the crypt beneath the dome.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Final burial of the mortal remains of Emperor Napoleon I at the Eglise des Invalides, 2 April 1861 |url=https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/articles/final-burial-of-the-mortal-remains-of-emperor-napoleon-i-eglise-des-invalides/ |access-date=2022-10-11 |website=napoleon.org |language=en-US}}</ref>


===Inside the ''Église du Dôme des Invalides''===
===Inside the ''Église du Dôme des Invalides''===
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[[Category:Olympic archery venues]]
[[Category:Olympic archery venues]]
[[Category:Domes]]
[[Category:Domes]]
[[Category:Hospitals in Paris]]
[[Category:Cathedrals of military ordinariates]]
[[Category:Cathedrals of military ordinariates]]

Latest revision as of 19:09, 14 October 2025

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The Hôtel des Invalides (Script error: No such module "IPA".; Template:Lit), commonly called Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "IPA".; Template:Lit), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldiers' retirement home, the building's original purpose. The buildings house the Musée de l'Armée, the museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine. The complex also includes the Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, the national cathedral of the French military. It is adjacent to the Royal Chapel known as the Script error: No such module "Lang"., the tallest church building in Paris at a height of 107 metres.[1] The latter has been converted into a shrine to some of France's leading military figures, most notably the tomb of Napoleon.[2]

History

File:Colonnade des Invalides.jpg
Mansard's original plan for Les Invalides (about 1700)

Louis XIV initiated the project by an order dated 24 November 1670 to create a home and hospital for aged and disabled (Script error: No such module "Lang".) soldiers, the veterans of his many military campaigns.[3] The initial architect of Script error: No such module "Lang". was Libéral Bruant. The selected site was in the then suburban plain of Grenelle (plaine de Grenelle). By the time the enlarged project was completed in 1676, the façade fronting the Seine measured Template:Convert in width, and the complex had fifteen courtyards, the largest being the cour d'honneur designed for military parades. The church-and-chapel complex of the Invalides was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart in 1676, taking inspiration from his great-uncle François Mansart's design for a Template:Ill to be built behind the chancel of the Basilica of Saint-Denis, the French monarch's necropolis since ancient times. Several projects were submitted in the mid-1660s by both Mansart and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who was residing in Paris at the time. Mansart's second project is very close to Hardouin-Mansart's concept of the Royal Chapel or Dome Church at Script error: No such module "Lang"., both in terms of its architecture and of its relationship with the adjacent church. Architectural historian Allan Braham has hypothesized that the domed chapel was initially intended to be a new burial place for the Bourbon Dynasty, but that project was not implemented.[4] Instead, the massive building was designated as the private chapel of the monarch, which was attached to the Cathedral attended by the veterans. The Dôme des Invalides remains as one of the prime exemplars of French Baroque architecture, at Template:Convert high, and also as an iconic symbol of France's absolute monarchy.

The interior of the dome was painted by Le Brun's disciple Charles de La Fosse with a Baroque illusionistic ceiling painting. The painting was completed in 1705.[5]

Meanwhile, Hardouin-Mansart assisted the aged Bruant with the Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, Paris, which was finished to Bruant's design after the latter died in 1697. Daily attendance of the veterans in the church services was required. Shortly after the veterans' chapel was started, Louis XIV commissioned Mansart to construct a separate private royal chapel, now named its most striking feature. The Dome chapel was finished in 1706.

Because of its location and significance, the Invalides served as the scene for several key events in French history. On 14 July 1789, it was stormed by Parisian rioters who seized the cannons and muskets stored in its cellars to use against the Bastille later the same day. Napoleon was entombed under the Dome of the Invalides with a grand ceremony in 1840. The separation between the two churches was reinforced in the 19th century with the erection of Napoleon's tomb, the creation of the two separate altars, and the construction of a glass wall between the two chapels.

The building retained its primary function as a retirement home and hospital for military veterans (invalides) until the early twentieth century. In 1872, the musée d'artillerie (Artillery Museum) was located within the building to be joined by the musée historique des armées (Historical Museum of the Armies) in 1896. The two institutions were merged to form the present musée de l'armée in 1905. At the same time, the veterans in residence were dispersed to smaller centres outside Paris. The reason was that adopting a mainly conscript army after 1872 meant a substantial reduction in the number of veterans having the twenty or more years of military service formerly required to enter the Hôpital des Invalides. The building accordingly became too large for its original purpose. The modern complex does, however, still include the facilities detailed below for about a hundred elderly or incapacitated former soldiers.

When the Army Museum at Script error: No such module "Lang". was founded in 1905, the veterans' chapel was placed under its administrative control. It is now the cathedral of the Diocese of the French Armed Forces, officially known as Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides.[6]

2024 Olympic venue

The Esplanade des Invalides, the expansive green space in front of the historic Hôtel des Invalides, was a key venue for multiple sports during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. It hosted archery, para-archery, road cycling, and marathon events, with the Invalides buildings providing a unique backdrop for athletes to compete.[7]

Architecture

North Front and entrance

File:Hôtel des Invalides, North View, Paris 7e 140402 1.jpg
The north front of the Invalides: Hardouin-Mansart's Dome, behind it, stands above Bruant's pedimented central block

Hardouin-Mansart's Dome chapel is large enough to dominate the long façade yet harmonizes with Bruant's door under an arched pediment on the north front of Les Invalides. To the north, the courtyard (cour d'honneur) is extended by a wide public esplanade (Esplanade des Invalides) where the embassies of Austria and Finland are neighbors of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all forming one of the grand open spaces in the heart of Paris. At its far end, the Pont Alexandre III links this grand urbanistic axis with the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais. The Pont des Invalides is next, downstream the Seine river.

The Dome des Invalides

The Dome is the tallest and most famous of the buildings of Les Invalides. Designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, it takes the form of a Greek cross, on a square plan. Each of the facades is composed of two orders superimposed. The porch is topped by triangular fronton. It is crowned by a dome 90 metres, high, surmounted by lantern bringing the height to 107 metres (351 feet), making it taller than Notre Dame de Paris and the tallest of all Paris church domes.[8]

The dome is actually composed of two domes superimposed. The lower dome is largely open at the base, allowed the visitors below to see the art painted on the dome above by Charles de La Fosse. The windows are masked by the lower dome, which permits natural lighting and gives the impression that viewers are actually seeing the sky, a popular Baroque affect.[8]

The interior of the dome is divided into two separate churches; beneath the dome is the chapel that was used, on rare occasions, by the royal family. Attached to the dome is a separate church, the Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, Paris, which was used by the veterans who lived at Les Invalides. They were required to attend daily services in the church.

The painting inside the dome by Charles de la Fosse depicts Saint Louis presenting his sword to Christ and the angels. In the centre of the composition, God and the Virgin are surrounded by angel musicians. Saint Louis carries the symbols of royalty; a crown, a garden with flour-des-lys emblems, and a royal mantle. To the right of Christ are placed the symbols of the passion and the suffering of Christ; the cross, nails, a lance, and the crown of thorns.[8]

Charles de la Fosse (1636-1716), a student of Le Brun, was one of the leading painters of the Academy, whose work is also found in the Palace of Versailles. Jules Hardouin Mansard, in charge of all the decoration of the dome, asked La Fosse to decorate the cupola and the pendentives with paintings of the four Evangelists. In the same period, he decorated the salons of Diane and Apollo at the Palace of Versailles.

Tomb of Napoleon

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The Tomb of Napoleon is found within the Church of the Dome. It was created after his remains were returned to France from Saint Helena in 1840. It was prepared by King Louis Philippe I and his Prime Minister, Adolphe Thiers, but it was not completed and inaugurated until 1861. The chief architect was Louis Visconti, who died before the tomb was completed. The sarcophagus made of purple quartzite, on a base of green granite, is placed in an open crypt, The crypt is surrounded by a circular gallery supported by twelve pillars, with relief panel and sculpture celebrating Napoleon's accomplishments, represented by figures of Atlantes. (See also Napoleon's tomb)

Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides

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In 1957, the position of vicar was created to oversee the spiritual education of the army. In 1986 a position of the Bishop of the armies was established and placed at the church, which gave the church the title of cathedral.[9]

The church is located directly behind the Dome des Invalides. It was originally the church that was used by the army veterans who lived at Les Invalides. They were required to attend daily services in the cathedral. In the original church, the dome, where the royal family worshipped, served as the choir, while the present cathedral was the nave for the veterans.

One unusual feature of the church is the display of captured enemy flags taken over the years by the French Army.[9]

The cathedral has a particularly fine organ, made between 1679 and 1687, with a vert elaborate case with sculpture designed by architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart.

The Courtyard of Honour

The organ of the cathedral is particularly notable. It was made by the organ-builder of the King, Alexandre Thierry, between 1679 and 1687, and has undergone several restorations. The elaborate buffet with sculpture was made in 1683. It was specially designed for the church by the architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart.

The French Army Museum

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The Army Museum (Musée de l'Armée) was created in 1905 with the merger of the Musée d'Artillerie and the Musée Historique de l'Armée. The museum's seven main spaces and departments contain collections that display military equipment span the from the Middle antiquity through the 20th century.[10]

The Museum of Relief Maps

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The Musee des Plans-Reliefs displays a collection of military models. It was begun in 1668 the Minister of War of Louis XIV ordered that three-dimensional models be made of fortified cities and strategic places in France. The models were originally held in the Louvre. The collection was enlarged through the 18th centuries, and some models of German fortifications were added. The total collection made between 1668 and 1870 has about 150 models. The museum currently displays some twenty-eight models, depicting fortified cities of the French coast.

Plan of Les Invalides

Le plan de l'Hôtel des Invalides
Le plan de l'Hôtel des Invalides
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  Dome of Les Invalides
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  Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération
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  Institution nationale des Invalides
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  Gouverneur des Invalides
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  Gouverneur militaire de Paris
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  Chancellerie de l'Ordre de la Libération
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  Office national des anciens combattants et victimes de guerre
  • 1. Cour d'honneur
  • 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

Hardouin-Mansart's Dome chapel is large enough to dominate the long façade yet harmonizes with Bruant's door under an arched pediment on the north front of Les Invalides. To the north, the courtyard (cour d'honneur) is extended by a wide public esplanade (Esplanade des Invalides) where the embassies of Austria and Finland are neighbors of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, all forming one of the grand open spaces in the heart of Paris. At its far end, the Pont Alexandre III links this grand urbanistic axis with the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais. The Pont des Invalides is next, downstream the Seine river.

The buildings still comprise the Institution Nationale des Invalides,[11] a national institution for disabled war veterans. The institution comprises:

  • a retirement home
  • a medical and surgical centre
  • a centre for external medical consultations.

Gallery

Burials

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

The Dome chapel became a military necropolis when Napoleon in September 1800 designated it for the relocation of the tomb of Louis XIV's celebrated general Turenne, followed in 1807–1808 by Vauban.[2] In 1835, the underground gallery below the church received the remains of 14 victims of the Giuseppe Marco Fieschi's failed assassination attempt on Louis-Philippe I. The significant development came with the building's designation to become Napoleon's tomb by a law of 10 June 1840, as part of the political project of the Script error: No such module "Lang". orchestrated by king Louis-Philippe I and his minister Adolphe Thiers (the reference to Napoleon's Script error: No such module "Lang". or "ashes" is actually to his mortal remains, as he had not been cremated).[12] The creation of the crypt and of Napoleon's massive sarcophagus took twenty years to complete and was finished in 1861.[13][14] By then, it was emperor Napoleon III who was in power and oversaw the ceremony of the transfer of the remains of his uncle from a chapel of the church to the crypt beneath the dome.[15]

Inside the Église du Dôme des Invalides

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The most notable tomb at Les Invalides is that of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821), designed by Louis Visconti with sculptures by James Pradier, Pierre-Charles Simart and Francisque Joseph Duret. Napoleon was initially interred on Saint Helena, but King Louis Philippe arranged for his remains to be brought to France in 1840, an event known as le retour des cendres. Napoleon's remains were kept in the Saint Jerome (southwestern) chapel of the Dome church for more than two decades until his final resting place, a tomb made of red quartzite and resting on a green granite base, was finished in 1861.

Other military figures and members of Napoleon's family were also buried at the Dome church by year of burial there:[2]

Beneath the Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides

82 additional military figures, including 28 Governors of Les Invalides, are buried in the Script error: No such module "Lang"., an underground gallery beneath the Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides:[16]

Two of these, Gabriel Malleterre and Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque, are also honored with a plaque inside the Saint-Louis-des-Invalides cathedral. Another plaque honors Jean de Lattre de Tassigny (1889–1952), posthumous Marshal of France, commander of the French First Army during World War II and later commander in the First Indochina War, who is buried in Mouilleron-en-Pareds.

See also

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References

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External links

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  6. Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides (online) Template:Webarchive, accessed 16 October 2015
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  8. a b c "Histoire de ;l'hotel des Invalides: La coupole du Dome par Charles de Fosse", published on-line by the Musee d'Armee.
  9. a b Anne Muratori-Philip, Histoire des Invalides, Éditions Perrin, 2001, p. 20.
  10. special collections, in Army Museum website
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  13. Dôme des Invalides, tomb of Napoleon I Template:Webarchive, accessed 18 October 2015
  14. Musée de l'Armée Invalides – Brochure, accessed 18 October 2015
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