Located in Paris 7th arrondisement, Les Invalides is a complex of buildings originally built as a military hospital and rest home for France’s soldiers, and continues in that capacity today.
But the complex is also replete with buildings and monuments honoring French military history, and includes the Musee de l’Armee, the Musee des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musee d’Histoire Contemporaine, as well as offering a burial site for many of the country’s war heroes and notable figures.
One of 15 courtyards included in the complex, the cour d’honneur (court of honor) is known for its military parades.
The original project was initiated by Louis XIV as a home for retired and injured soldiers, and was overseen by architect Liberal Bruant.
Louis XIV also commissioned the design and construciton of a private royal chapel at the site, regarded today as one of the finest examples of French baroque architecture.
The dome of the chapel was modeled after the domed ceiling of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
The complex is the location of the tombs of many French notables, perhaps the most famous being the tomb of Napoelon Bonaparte.
Originally interred on St. Helena, King Louis-Phillipe had the emperor’s body brought back to France, and it was finally laid to rest in 1870 in a sarcophagus directly under the dome at Les Invalides.
