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Les Invalides

Coordinates: 48°51′18″N 2°18′45″E / 48.85500°N 2.31250°E / 48.85500; 2.31250
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This article is about the area in Paris. For the Paris metro station serving it, see Invalides (Paris Métro and RER).
Hôtel des Invalides
Aerial view of Les Invalides
Map
Alternative namesLes Invalides, Musée de l'Armée
General information
TypeMuseum, church, hospital, retirement home, mausoleum
Architectural styleBaroque
LocationParis, France
Coordinates48°51′18″N 2°18′45″E / 48.85500°N 2.31250°E / 48.85500; 2.31250
Construction started1671
Completed1706
Inaugurated1678
Design and construction
Architect(s)Libéral Bruant
Jules Hardouin-Mansart

The Hôtel des Invalides (French pronunciation: [o.tɛl dez ɛ̃valid]; lit. 'House of the Invalids'), commonly called Les Invalides (French pronunciation: [lez ɛ̃valid]; lit. 'The Invalids'), 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 military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine. The complex also includes the former hospital chapel, now the national cathedral of the French military, and the adjacent former Royal Chapel known as the Dôme des Invalides, the tallest church building in Paris at a height of 107 meters.[1] The latter has been converted into a shrine of some of France's leading military figures, most notably the tomb of Napoleon.[2]

History

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The Dôme des Invalides, 107 metres (351 ft) tall and decorated with 12.65 kilograms (27.9 lb) of gold leaf, is an important landmark in Paris.

Louis XIV initiated the project by an order dated 24 November 1670 as a home and hospital for aged and disabled (invalide) soldiers.[3] The initial architect of Les Invalides 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 196 metres (643 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 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 Les Invalides, 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 private chapel of the monarch, from which he could attend church service without having to mingle with the disabled veterans. It was barely used for that purpose. The Dôme des Invalides remains as one of the prime exemplars of French Baroque architecture, at 107 metres (351 ft) 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 chapel, which was finished to Bruant's design after the latter died in 1697. This chapel is known as the church of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides. 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 known as the Église du Dôme from its most striking feature. The Dome chapel was finished in 1706.

  • François Mansart's second project for the Chapel of the Bourbons in Saint-Denis
    François Mansart's second project for the Chapel of the Bourbons in Saint-Denis
  • Louis XIV ordering the construction of Les Invalides
    Louis XIV ordering the construction of Les Invalides
  • Jules Hardouin-Mansart's project with unrealized south esplanade
    Jules Hardouin-Mansart's project with unrealized south esplanade
  • Visit of Louis XIV to Les Invalides. Painting by Pierre-Denis Martin
    Visit of Louis XIV to Les Invalides. Painting by Pierre-Denis Martin
  • Portrait of Hardouin-Mansart by Hyacinthe Rigaud showing the Dome, Louvre
    Portrait of Hardouin-Mansart by Hyacinthe Rigaud showing the Dome, Louvre
  • Napoleon I visiting the infirmary of Les Invalides
    Napoleon I visiting the infirmary of Les Invalides

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 Les Invalides 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]

Olympic venue

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Men's Individual Archery at the Les Invalides 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

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Le plan de l'Hôtel des Invalides
Le plan de l'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
  • 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
The north front of the Invalides: Hardouin-Mansart's Dome 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 buildings still comprise the Institution Nationale des Invalides,[8] a national institution for disabled war veterans. The institution comprises:

  • a retirement home
  • a medical and surgical centre
  • a centre for external medical consultations.
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  • Aerial view of Les Invalides
    Aerial view of Les Invalides
  • The Northern frontage of the complex overlooks the esplanade
    The Northern frontage of the complex overlooks the esplanade
  • The northern portal of the complex, with Louis XIV with a horse on the pediment
    The northern portal of the complex, with Louis XIV with a horse on the pediment
  • The court of honor of the Invalides
    The court of honor of the Invalides
  • Statue and attic window in the court of honor
    Statue and attic window in the court of honor
  • Statue of Napoleon in the court
    Statue of Napoleon in the court
  • "Long Live the Emperor" in the court
    "Long Live the Emperor" in the court
  • The Alexander III bridge was built in alignment with Les Invalides
    The Alexander III bridge was built in alignment with Les Invalides
  • Sight on the complex and Paris from the Dome's top
    Sight on the complex and Paris from the Dome's top
  • Top of the gate that overlooks the northern esplanade
    Top of the gate that overlooks the northern esplanade
  • From Montparnasse tower
    From Montparnasse tower
  • The Dome has a structure of triple hull
    The Dome has a structure of triple hull
  • The monumental bronze door of the Dome
    The monumental bronze door of the Dome
  • Plan of the Dome
    Plan of the Dome
  • Pinnacle at the top of the Dome
    Pinnacle at the top of the Dome
  • Interior architecture
    Interior architecture
  • The grounds are covered with polychrome marble marquetries of the 17th century
    The grounds are covered with polychrome marble marquetries of the 17th century
  • Napoleon's tomb was dug in the center of the Dome
    Napoleon's tomb was dug in the center of the Dome
  • Cupola of the Dome
    Cupola of the Dome
  • One of the four small side cupolas
    One of the four small side cupolas
  • According to an old tradition, war trophies decorate the vault of the Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides
    According to an old tradition, war trophies decorate the vault of the Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides
  • The Qianlong Emperor's military costume at the Musée de l'Armée
    The Qianlong Emperor's military costume at the Musée de l'Armée

Burials

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The sarcophagus of Napoleon Bonaparte
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 retour des cendres orchestrated by king Louis-Philippe I and his minister Adolphe Thiers (the reference to Napoleon's cendres or "ashes" is actually to his mortal remains, as he had not been cremated).[9] The creation of the crypt and of Napoleon's massive sarcophagus took twenty years to complete and was finished in 1861.[10][11] 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.[12]

Inside the Église du Dôme des Invalides

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See also: Napoleon's tomb

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]

  • Two of the twelve marble Victories surrounding Napoleon's tomb
    Two of the twelve marble Victories surrounding Napoleon's tomb
  • Tomb of Joseph Bonaparte in the Dome church
    Tomb of Joseph Bonaparte in the Dome church
  • Tomb of Ferdinand Foch in the Dome church
    Tomb of Ferdinand Foch in the Dome church
  • Cenotaph of Vauban in the Dome church
    Cenotaph of Vauban in the Dome church
  • Tomb of marshal Lyautey in the Saint Gregory (northwestern) chapel
    Tomb of marshal Lyautey in the Saint Gregory (northwestern) chapel
  • Tomb of Jerome Bonaparte in the Saint Jerome chapel
    Tomb of Jerome Bonaparte in the Saint Jerome chapel

Beneath the Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides

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82 additional military figures, including 28 Governors of Les Invalides, are buried in the Caveau des Gouverneurs, an underground gallery beneath the Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides:[13]

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.

  • Burial vaults in the Caveau des Gouverneurs beaneath Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides
    Burial vaults in the Caveau des Gouverneurs beaneath Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides
  • Plaque honoring Marshal de Lattre de Tassigny in Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides
    Plaque honoring Marshal de Lattre de Tassigny in Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides
  • Plaque honoring Marshal Leclerc in Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides
    Plaque honoring Marshal Leclerc in Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Paris facts". Paris Digest. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  2. ^ a b c "Les tombeaux et monuments funéraires" (PDF). Musée de l'Armée.
  3. ^ "The Paris Army Museum – Hôtel des Invalides". citibreak.fr. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  4. ^ Allan J. Braham (July–December 1960), "L'Eglise du Dome", Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, 23:3/4 (3/4), The Warburg Institute: 216–224, doi:10.2307/750592, JSTOR 750592, S2CID 195018409
  5. ^ "Apotheosis of Saint Louis – Musée de l'Armée". www.musee-armee.fr. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  6. ^ Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides (online), accessed 16 October 2015
  7. ^ "Invalides". Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  8. ^ "Institution Nationale des Invalides". Archived from the original on 31 August 2011.
  9. ^ "Napoleon's tomb facts". Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  10. ^ Dôme des Invalides, tomb of Napoleon I, accessed 18 October 2015
  11. ^ Musée de l'Armée Invalides – Brochure, accessed 18 October 2015
  12. ^ "Final burial of the mortal remains of Emperor Napoleon I at the Eglise des Invalides, 2 April 1861". napoleon.org. Retrieved 2022-10-11.
  13. ^ "Cathédrale Saint-Louis des Invalides (Paris) et le caveau (ou crypte) des Gouverneurs". Tombes-Sepultures.com.
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