Les invalides

Hôtel des Invalides was founded in 1671 by Louis XIV, the Sun King, as he wanted to provide accommodation for disabled and impoverished war veterans.

Located in the 7th arrondissement the Hôtel des Invalides house the Musée de l'Armée (the military museum of French the Army), the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine, as well as the Dôme des Invalides, a large church with the burial site for some of France's war heroes, most notably Napoleon Bonaparte. “Les Invalides” is actually a shortened form “Hôpital des Invalides” meaning “The Hospital for Invalids”.

The front facade facing the Seine river is 196 meters long (643 ft).
The building was completed in 1676 and housed up to 4,000 war veterans. A wide, 500 meters long esplanade designed by Robert de Cotte separates the Hôtel des Invalides from the late nineteenth-century Pont Alexandre III and Seine river. You will see the Pont Alexandre at the end of the visit.

The church is connected directly with the Royal chapel, better known as the Dôme des Invalides. This chapel with a 107 meter high dome (351 ft) was for exclusive use of the royal family. Construction of the dome was completed in 1708, 27 years after the first stone was laid.

The dome itself was inspired by the origin of all Baroque domes such as the dome of the grand St. Peters Basilica in Rome. In 1989 during the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution, the dome itself was regilded for the 5th time since its creation. During the process, a large number of thin gold leaves were used. The total weight equaled around ten kilos pure gold.

Artillery at the Invalides

The entry point is guarded by a gendarme who lifts and replaces a stop sign mounted on a metal pole from a post hole in the ground when cars need to enter or exit.

The whole complex features no less than fifteen courtyards, the largest being the cour d'honneur (court of honor). This courtyard was used for military parades.

On the left of the entrance you can admire 60 French classical bronze cannons, which are the jewels of the artillery collections of the Army Museum, and a dozen howitzers and mortars.

The soldiers’ chapel opened in 1677, only one year after the completion of the main Hôpital des Invalides. The chapel is known as “Église Saint-Louis des Invalides” and is now the cathedral for the French armies. After it had been completed, daily attendance was required for all the veterans staying at Les Invalides and were required to attend the daily mass here.

Soon after the main Hôpital des Invalides had been completed, King Louis XIV decided that the veterans also required a chapel to pray in, the church of Saint-Louis was added as an annex to the complex.

Saint-Louis is part of a hospital for wounded French soldiers, still in operation today. In 1676, the Secretary of State for War commissioned a chapel for the hospital to be finished. This chapel was to be combined with the Royal Chapel, the Dôme des Invalides, and the veterans' chapel.

The King and his soldiers could attend mass simultaneously, while entering the place of worship though different entrances, as prescribed by etiquette. This separation was reinforced in the 19th century with the erection of the tomb of Napoleon I, the creation of the two separate altars and then with the construction of a glass wall between the two chapels.

This chapel, which opens onto the main courtyard, is a good example of classical architecture.

The church also houses one of the largest instruments in France, its beautiful organ. The organ is located at the back of the chapel, above the entrance.