Les Invalides

The Hôtel des Invalides in Paris's 7th arrondissement is a historic military complex originally built under Louis XIV. Constructed between 1670 and 1676 to plans by the architects Libéral Bruant and Jules Hardouin-Mansart, it was meant as a home for soldiers disabled in war or unable to work. The idea of caring for aged and wounded warriors had already existed in the 12th century under Philip Augustus, but it was Louis XIV who created a lasting institution with this comprehensive solution. Alongside the humanitarian motive, state security played a role as well, since unemployed soldiers trained in the use of arms could turn into dangerous marauding bands. The outward appearance of the complex was modeled on the Spanish Escorial, while its social organization drew on the tradition of the monastery.

The architecture forms a large rectangle 390 meters (about 1,280 feet) long and 450 meters (about 1,475 feet) wide, with a façade 195 meters (about 640 feet) across. The central Court of Honor, surrounded by four smaller courtyards with residential wings, is strictly symmetrical and recalls a cloister. Today this courtyard still serves as a venue for military parades and official receptions, at which the president of France welcomes foreign guests with military honors from the Garde républicaine. The forecourt facing the Esplanade is lined with 17th- and 18th-century cannon barrels mounted on supports, while the main entrance is flanked by statues of warriors in classical style. On the south side of the inner courtyard stands a bronze statue of Napoleon, popularly known as Le Petit Corporal, and the upper galleries of the residential wings are also decorated with historic military equipment.

Today the complex houses several important museums, set in the former workshops. The Musée de l'Armée is considered one of the world's most important museums of military history. You will also find the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, which is devoted to the history of fortifications and displays models of cities, ports, and fortresses, as well as the Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération and the Historial Charles-de-Gaulle, which presents the life of the statesman. These institutions make the grounds a central place of military remembrance and education.

Two churches shape the spiritual and historical character of the complex. The Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, also known as the Soldiers' Church, was built between 1676 and 1677 and originally served the residents of the veterans' home. Today it is the seat of the French Roman Catholic military ordinariate. Behind its high altar lies the burial vault known as the Caveau des Gouverneurs, where 28 governors of the veterans' home and other distinguished members of the armed forces have found their final resting place, including the author of the Marseillaise, Rouget de Lisle. The church has a historic organ that has been restored and expanded several times and now has 64 stops on three manuals and pedal.

The second church, the Église du Dôme des Invalides, was built between 1679 and 1708 and is designed as a domed church. It originally served visitors and was declared the official tomb of Napoleon I by law in 1840. Excavating and furnishing the crypt, which changed the interior considerably, took around twenty years and was completed in 1861. The two churches are built directly against each other and are spiritually connected by a large window in the dividing wall, which symbolically bridges the original separation between the space for the residents and the one for visitors.