The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the
7th arrondissement of Paris
The 7th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''le septième''.
The arrondissement, called Palais-Bourbon in a r ...
, France, containing
museum
A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make th ...
s and
monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...
s, all relating to the
military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for
war veterans, 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
The Musée des Plans-Reliefs is a museum of military models located within the Hôtel des Invalides in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France.
The construction of models dates to 1668 when François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois and ...
, and the
Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine. The complex also includes the former hospital chapel, now national cathedral of the French military, and the adjacent former Royal Chapel known as the , the tallest church building in Paris at a height of 107 meters.
The latter has been converted into a shrine of some of France's leading military figures, most notably the
tomb of Napoleon.
History
Louis XIV
Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...
initiated the project by an order dated 24 November 1670, as a home and hospital for aged and disabled () soldiers. The initial architect of Les Invalides was
Libéral Bruant
Libéral Bruant (''ca'' 1635 – Paris, 22 November 1697), was a French architect best known as the designer of the Hôtel des Invalides, Paris, which is now dominated by the dome erected by Jules Hardouin Mansart, his collaborator in earlier ...
. 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
)
, mouth_location = Le Havre/ Honfleur
, mouth_coordinates =
, mouth_elevation =
, progression =
, river_system = Seine basin
, basin_size =
, tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle
, tributa ...
measured 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
Jules Hardouin-Mansart (; 16 April 1646 – 11 May 1708) was a French Baroque architect and builder whose major work included the Place des Victoires (1684–1690); Place Vendôme (1690); the domed chapel of Les Invalides (1690), and the Gran ...
from 1676, taking inspiration from his great-uncle
François Mansart
François Mansart (; 23 January 1598 – 23 September 1666) was a French architect credited with introducing classicism into Baroque architecture of France. The '' Encyclopædia Britannica'' cites him as the most accomplished of 17th-century Fr ...
's design for a 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
Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...
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
Allan John Witney Braham (19 August 19373 March 2011) was an English art historian, architectural historian, author and art gallery curator. He was Deputy Director at the National Gallery, London.
Biography
Braham was born in Croydon, Surrey, ...
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. 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 high, and also as an iconic symbol of France's
absolute monarchy
Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constituti ...
.
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.
Meanwhile, Hardouin-Mansart assisted the aged Bruant on the chapel, which was finished to Bruant's design after the latter's death 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 from its most striking feature. The Dome chapel was finished in 1706.
File:Mansart Saint-Denis projet 2.jpg, François Mansart's second project for the Chapel of the Bourbons in Saint-Denis
File:Stichting invalides.jpg, Louis XIV ordering the construction of Les Invalides
File:Colonnade des Invalides.jpg, Jules Hardouin-Mansart
Jules Hardouin-Mansart (; 16 April 1646 – 11 May 1708) was a French Baroque architect and builder whose major work included the Place des Victoires (1684–1690); Place Vendôme (1690); the domed chapel of Les Invalides (1690), and the Gran ...
’s project with unrealized south esplanade
File:Louis XIV Invalides Pierre Denis Martin.JPG, ''Visit of Louis XIV to Les Invalides''. Painting by Pierre-Denis Martin
File:Hyacinthe Rigaud 1685 Jules-Hardouin Mansart-001.JPG, Portrait of Hardouin-Mansart by Hyacinthe Rigaud showing the Dome, Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...
File:Veron-Bellecourt - Napoléon Ier visitant l'infirmerie des Invalides, 11 février 1808.jpg, Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
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 great ceremony in 1840.
The separation between the two churches was reinforced in the 19th century with the erection of
Napoleon's tomb
Napoleon's tomb is the monument erected at Les Invalides in Paris to keep the mortal remains of Napoleon following their repatriation to France from Saint Helena in 1840, or , at the initiative of Louis Philippe I and his minister Adolphe Thi ...
, the creation of the two separate altars and then with the construction of a glass wall between the two chapels.
The building retained its primary function of 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 the adoption of a mainly conscript army, after 1872, meant a substantial reduction in the numbers 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.
Architecture
On the north front of Les Invalides, Hardouin-Mansart's Dome chapel is large enough to dominate the long façade, yet harmonizes with Bruant's door under an arched pediment. 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
The Pont Alexandre III is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the ci ...
links this grand urbanistic axis with the
Petit Palais
The Petit Palais (; en, Small Palace) is an art museum in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France.
Built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle ("universal exhibition"), it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts (''Musée des beaux-arts ...
and the
Grand Palais
The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées ( en, Great Palace of the Elysian Fields), commonly known as the Grand Palais (English: Great Palace), is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th ...
. The
Pont des Invalides
The Pont des Invalides is the lowest bridge traversing the Seine in Paris.
History
The story of this bridge started in 1821, when engineer Claude Navier conceived a technologically revolutionary bridge that crossed the Seine in one single reac ...
is next, downstream the Seine river.
The buildings still comprise the Institution Nationale des Invalides, a national institution for
disabled
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...
war veterans. The institution comprises:
*a retirement home
*a medical and surgical centre
*a centre for external medical consultations.
Gallery
File:Paris - Orthophotographie - 2018 - Hôtel des Invalides 02.jpg, Aerial view of Les Invalides
File:Paris - Les Invalides - Façade nord - 008.jpg, Northern frontage of the complex, overlooks the esplanade
File:North portal of Hôtel des Invalides, Paris 11 June 2013.jpg, The northern portal of the complex, with Louis XIV with horse on the pediment
File:Cour d'honneur des Invalides 001.jpg, The court of honor of the Invalides
File:Paris - Toiture de la cour d'honneur des Invalides - Sculptures - 0010.jpg, Statue and attic window in the court of honor
File:Statue aux invalides.jpg, Statue of Napoleon in the court
File:Vive L'Empereur, Musée de l'Armée, August 2013 002.jpg, "Long Live the Emperor" in the court
File:HoteldesInvalides-005-P07.jpg, The Alexander III bridge
The Pont Alexandre III is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the ci ...
was built in alignment with Les Invalides
File:Dome Invalides-IMG 2448.jpg, Sight on the complex and Paris from the Dome's top
File:Armoiries-france-invalides-IMG 0831.jpg, Top of the gate that overlooks the northern esplanade
File:Hotel des Invalides seen from the Tour Montparnasse.JPG, From Montparnasse tower
Tour Maine-Montparnasse (Maine-Montparnasse Tower), also commonly named Tour Montparnasse, is a office skyscraper located in the Montparnasse area of Paris, France. Constructed from 1969 to 1973, it was the tallest skyscraper in France until 2 ...
File:L'architecture. Le passé.-Le présent (1916) - Flickr 14778212605.jpg, The Dome has a structure of triple hull
File:Hôtel des Invalides - porte.jpg, The monumental bronze door of the Dome
File:Dôme des Invalides, plan of former Église Royale des Invalides, engraving published 1670.jpg, Plan of the Dome
File:Dôme des Invalides clocheton 2010.jpg, Pinnacle at the top of the Dome
File:Dome @ Musée de l'Armée @ Les Invalides @ Paris (25768372166).jpg, Interior architecture
File:Paris Dôme des Invalides 777.JPG, The grounds are covered with polychrome marble marquetries of the 17th century
File:Napoleons tomb Paris France.jpg, Napoleon's tomb
Napoleon's tomb is the monument erected at Les Invalides in Paris to keep the mortal remains of Napoleon following their repatriation to France from Saint Helena in 1840, or , at the initiative of Louis Philippe I and his minister Adolphe Thi ...
was dug in the center of the Dome
File:Paris - Plafond du dôme des Invalides.jpg, Cupola of the Dome
File:Dome @ Musée de l'Armée @ Les Invalides @ Paris (25673476082).jpg, One of the four small side cupolas
File:Paris invalides cathedrale int.jpg, According to an old tradition, war trophies decorate the vault of the Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides
File:MilitaryCostumeEmperorKienLong1736-1796.jpg, The Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 ...
's military costume at the Musée de l'Armée
Burials
The Dome chapel became a military necropolis when
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
in September 1800 designated it for the relocation of the tomb of Louis XIV's celebrated general
Turenne, followed in 1807–1808 by
Vauban.
[ In 1835, the underground gallery below the church received the remains of 14 victims of the ]Giuseppe Marco Fieschi
Giuseppe Marco Fieschi (13 December 1790 – 19 February 1836) was a Corsican mass murderer, and the chief conspirator in an attempted assassination of King Louis-Philippe of France on 28 July 1835. The attack on the King and his entourage ...
's failed assassination attempt on Louis-Philippe I
Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France.
As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary Wa ...
. The major development came with the building's designation to become Napoleon's tomb
Napoleon's tomb is the monument erected at Les Invalides in Paris to keep the mortal remains of Napoleon following their repatriation to France from Saint Helena in 1840, or , at the initiative of Louis Philippe I and his minister Adolphe Thi ...
by a law of 10 June 1840, as part of the political project of the orchestrated by king Louis-Philippe I
Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France.
As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary Wa ...
and his minister Adolphe Thiers
Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers ( , ; 15 April 17973 September 1877) was a French statesman and historian. He was the second elected President of France and first President of the French Third Republic.
Thiers was a key figure in the July Rev ...
(the reference to Napoleon's or "ashes" is actually to his mortal remains, as he had not been cremated). The creation of the crypt and of Napoleon's massive sarcophagus took twenty years to complete and was finished in 1861. By then, it was emperor Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A neph ...
who was in power and oversaw the ceremony of the transfer of his remains from a chapel of the church to the crypt beneath the dome.
Inside the Dome church
The most notable tomb at Les Invalides is that of Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
(1769–1821), designed by Louis Visconti
Louis Tullius Joachim Visconti (Rome February 11, 1791 – December 29, 1853) was an Italian-born French architect and designer.
Life
Son of the Italian archaeologist and art historian Ennio Quirino Visconti, Visconti designed many Pa ...
with sculptures by James Pradier
James Pradier (born Jean-Jacques Pradier, ; 23 May 1790 – 4 June 1852) was a Genevan-born French sculptor best known for his work in the neoclassical style.
Life and work
Born in Geneva (then Republic of Geneva), Pradier was the son of a Prot ...
, Pierre-Charles Simart and Francisque Joseph Duret
Francisque Joseph Duret (; 19 October 1804 – 26 May 1865) was a French sculptor, son and pupil of François-Joseph Duret (1732–1816).
Life and career
Before becoming a sculptor, Francisque Duret had shown interest in pursuing a career in thea ...
. Napoleon was initially interred on Saint Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constit ...
, but King Louis Philippe arranged for his remains to be brought to France in 1840, an event known as ''le retour des cendres''. Napoléon'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
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combina ...
base, was finished in 1861.
Other military figures and members of Napoleon's family also buried at the Dome church, by year of burial there:[
* 1800: Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, Viscount of Turenne (1611–1675); 1670s monument by Gaspard Marsy and ]Jean-Baptiste Tuby
Jean-Baptiste Tuby (also known as ''Le Romain'' - born in Rome in 1635, died in Paris 9 August 1700) was a French sculptor of Italian origins, best known for the sculpture in the fountains of the Gardens of Versailles. His work expresses the exub ...
, originally at the Basilica of Saint-Denis and relocated by Napoleon
* 1807–1808: heart of Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, Seigneur de Vauban, later Marquis de Vauban (baptised 15 May 163330 March 1707), commonly referred to as ''Vauban'' (), was a French military engineer who worked under Louis XIV. He is generally considered the ...
(1633–1707); relocated by Napoleon from Bazoches, replaced in 1847 with a cenotaph
A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...
by Antoine Étex
Antoine Étex (March 20, 1808 ParisJuly 14, 1888 Chaville) was a French sculptor, painter and architect.
Biography
He first exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1833, his work including a reproduction in marble of his ''Death of Hyacinthus'', and th ...
* 1847: Henri Gatien Bertrand (1773–1844), army general who accompanied Napoleon to Elba and then St Helena, and in 1840 brought Napoleon's body back to France; monument designed by Louis Visconti
Louis Tullius Joachim Visconti (Rome February 11, 1791 – December 29, 1853) was an Italian-born French architect and designer.
Life
Son of the Italian archaeologist and art historian Ennio Quirino Visconti, Visconti designed many Pa ...
* 1847: Géraud Duroc (1772–1813); also by Louis Visconti
Louis Tullius Joachim Visconti (Rome February 11, 1791 – December 29, 1853) was an Italian-born French architect and designer.
Life
Son of the Italian archaeologist and art historian Ennio Quirino Visconti, Visconti designed many Pa ...
* 1862: Jérôme Bonaparte
Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte (born Girolamo Buonaparte; 15 November 1784 – 24 June 1860) was the youngest brother of Napoleon I and reigned as Jerome Napoleon I (formally Hieronymus Napoleon in German), King of Westphalia, between 1807 and 18 ...
(1784–1860), Napoleon's youngest brother, Governor of the Invalides 1848–1852; monument by Alfred-Nicolas Normand with sculpture by Eugène Guillaume, in the Saint Jerome chapel
* 1864: Joseph Bonaparte
it, Giuseppe-Napoleone Buonaparte es, José Napoleón Bonaparte
, house = Bonaparte
, father = Carlo Buonaparte
, mother = Letizia Ramolino
, birth_date = 7 January 1768
, birth_place = Corte, Corsica, Republic ...
(1768–1844), Napoleon's elder brother; monument by in the Saint Augustine (southeastern) chapel
* Charles Leclerc
Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver, currently racing in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari. He won the GP3 Series championship in 2016 and the FIA Formula 2 Championship in .
Leclerc ...
(1772–1802); urn relocated from the Château de Montgobert
* 1904: heart of Théophile Corret de la Tour d'Auvergne (1743–1800), named by Napoleon the "first grenadier
A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word ''grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited from ...
of the Republic"
* 1940: Napoleon II
, house = Bonaparte
, father = Napoleon I, Emperor of the French
, mother = Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Tuileries Palace, Paris, French Empire ...
(1811–1832) son of Napoleon (his heart and intestines remained in Vienna); first placed in the church's Saint Jerome Chapel, then buried in the crypt in 1969
* 1858: heart of Catharina of Württemberg (1783–1835), wife of Jérôme Bonaparte, and their son Jérôme Napoléon Charles Bonaparte, in the underground gallery; the monument of Catharina's heart was relocated in 1862 in the Saint Jerome Chapel
* 1937: Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Ar ...
(1851–1929), monument by Paul Landowski in the Saint Ambrose (northeastern) chapel
* 1963: Hubert Lyautey (1854–1934), relocated from Morocco, monument by Albert Laprade in the Saint Gregory (northwestern) chapel
File:Deux " VICTOIRES " et le tombeau de Napoléon 1er.JPG, Two of the twelve marble Victories surrounding Napoleon's tomb
File:Tomb of Joseph Bonaparte at Les Invalides, April 2011.jpg, Tomb of Joseph Bonaparte in the Dome church
File:Fochs tomb, Hôtel des Invalides 2012-10-07.jpg, Tomb of Ferdinand Foch
Ferdinand Foch ( , ; 2 October 1851 – 20 March 1929) was a French general and military theorist who served as the Supreme Allied Commander during the First World War. An aggressive, even reckless commander at the First Marne, Flanders and Ar ...
in the Dome church
File:Vaubaninvalides01.JPG, Cenotaph of Vauban in the Dome church
File:Tomb of marshal Lyautey in the Saint Gregory (northwestern) chapel of les Invalides.jpg, Tomb of marshal Lyautey in the Saint Gregory (northwestern) chapel
File:Tomb of Jerome Bonaparte in the Saint Jerome chapel in les Invalides, France.jpg, Tomb of Jerome Bonaparte in the Saint Jerome chapel
Under the Cathedral church
82 additional military figures, including 28 Governors of Les Invalides, are in the underground gallery known as the beneath the Saint-Louis Cathedral:
* Albert d'Amade
Albert Gérard Léo d'Amade (24 December 1856 – 11 November 1941) was a French general. In January 1908 he replaced General Antoine Drude in Morocco. In February 1915, he received the Corps expéditionnaire d'Orient and subsequently led th ...
(1856–1941)
* Jean-Toussaint Arrighi de Casanova
Jean-Toussaint Arrighi de Casanova (; born 8 March 1778 in Corte; died 22 March 1853 in Paris), duc de Padova, was a French diplomat and soldier of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. In the late 1840s, Arrighi was also involved in polit ...
(1778–1853), Governor 1852–1853
* Louis Baraguey d'Hilliers (1764–1813) (heart)
* Achille Baraguey d'Hilliers (1795–1878), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
* Jean-François Berruyer (1737?–1804), Governor 1803–1804
* Jean-Baptiste Bessières
Jean-Baptiste Bessières (; 6 August 1768 – 1 May 1813), 1st Duke of Istria (''Duc d'Istrie''), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. His younge ...
(1768–1813), Marshal of the Empire
Marshal of the Empire (french: Maréchal d'Empire) was a civil dignity during the First French Empire. It was created by '' Sénatus-consulte'' on 18 May 1804 and to a large extent reinstated the formerly abolished title of Marshal of France. Ac ...
* Baptiste Pierre Bisson
Baptiste-Pierre-François Bisson (16 February 1767 at Montpellier, France – 26 July 1811, at Mantua in the Kingdom of Italy) joined the French army and rose rapidly in rank during the French Revolutionary Wars. He served as a division comman ...
(1767–1811) (heart)
* Antoine Baucheron de Boissoudy (1864–1926)
* Thomas Bugeaud
Thomas Robert Bugeaud, marquis de la Piconnerie, duc d'Isly (15 October 178410 June 1849) was a Marshal of France and Governor-General of Algeria.
Early life
He was born at Limoges, a member of a noble family of Périgord ( Occitania), the ...
(1784–1849), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
, involved in the conquest of Algeria
* François Canrobert (1809–1895), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
* François-Henri de Franquetot de Coigny (1737–1821), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
, Governor 1816–1821
* Victor Cordonnier (1858–1936)
* Charles-Marie Denys de Damrémont
Charles-Marie Denys, comte de Damrémont (8 February 1783–12 October 1837) was a French general and military governor of French Algeria. He was killed in combat during the siege of Constantine.
Early life
Charles-Marie Denys was born in Cha ...
(1783–1837)
* Vincent Martel Deconchy (1768–1823) (heart)
* Denis Auguste Duchêne (1862–1950)
* Guy-Victor Duperré
Guy-Victor Duperré (20 February 1775 – 2 November 1846) was a French naval officer and Admiral of France.
He is known for commanding French naval forces in the Mauritius campaign of 1809–11 and was victorious in the Battle of Grand Port ...
(1775–1846)
* (1794–1848)
* Jean Baptiste Eblé
Jean Baptiste Eblé (21 December 1758 – 31 December 1812) was a French General, Engineer and Artilleryman during the Napoleonic Wars. He is credited with saving Napoleon's Grand Army from complete destruction in 1812.
Biography
Eblé was born ...
(1758–1812) (heart)
* Louis Franchet d'Espèrey (1856–1942), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
* Rémy Joseph Isidore Exelmans (1775–1852), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
* Émile Fayolle (1852–1928), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
* Ernest François Fournier
Ernest François Fournier (1842–1934) was a French diplomat and admiral born in Toulouse on May 23, 1842. He was a French negotiator in the Tientsin Accord, which resolved the undeclared war between France and China in 1884.
He joined the nav ...
(1842–1934)
* Dominique-Marie Gauchet
Dominique-Marie Gauchet (14 August 1853 in Vains – 4 February 1931 in Vains) was a French admiral during World War I.
Life
After a career of almost 40 years in the French Navy, Gauchet was appointed commander of the French Dardanelles squa ...
(1853–1931)
* Augustin Gérard
Augustin Gérard (2 November 1857 – 2 November 1926) was a French général de division and Grand Master of the Grand Orient de France (1921–22).
Life
His first important assignment was Chief of Staff of general Joseph Gallieni in Madagascar ...
(1857–1926)
* Henri Giraud (1879–1949)
* Émile Guépratte (1856–1939)
* Adolphe Guillaumat
Marie Louis Adolphe Guillaumat (4 January 1863 – 18 May 1940) was a French Army general during World War I.
Early years
Adolphe Guillaumat was born in Bourgneuf, Charente-Maritime. He graduated first from his class of 1884 at the Saint-Cyr ...
(1863–1940)
* Ferdinand-Alphonse Hamelin
Ferdinand-Alphonse Hamelin (2 September 1796 – 10 January 1864), French admiral, was born in Pont-l'Évêque, Normandy. He was the nephew of Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin, a successful rear admiral in the French Navy of the Napoleonic era. ...
(1796–1864)
* Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul (1754–1807) (heart)
* Paul Prosper Henrys
Paul Prosper Henrys (or Paul-Prosper) (13 March 1862 – 6 November 1943) was a French general.
In his early career, Henrys was stationed in French Algeria. In 1912, he participated in the French conquest of Morocco under general Hubert Lyautey. ...
(1862–1943)
* (1885–1960), Governor 1951–1960
* Georges Louis Humbert
Georges Louis Humbert (8 April 1862 – 1921) was a French general during World War I.
He was the son of Émile Siméon Humbert, a gendarme and Nathalie Augustine Eulalie Breton.
Career
He participated in the Tonkin Campaign (1885–1887), ...
(1862–1921)
* Jean-Baptiste Jourdan
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 1st Count Jourdan (29 April 1762 – 23 November 1833), was a French military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was made a Marshal of the Empire by Emperor Napoleon I i ...
(1762–1833), Marshal of the Empire
Marshal of the Empire (french: Maréchal d'Empire) was a civil dignity during the First French Empire. It was created by '' Sénatus-consulte'' on 18 May 1804 and to a large extent reinstated the formerly abolished title of Marshal of France. Ac ...
, Governor 1830–1833
* Alphonse Juin
Alphonse Pierre Juin (16 December 1888 – 27 January 1967) was a senior French Army general who became Marshal of France. A graduate of the École Spéciale Militaire class of 1912, he served in Morocco in 1914 in command of native troops. Upon ...
(1888–1967), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
* Jean-Baptiste Kléber (1753–1800) (heart)
* Fernand de Langle de Cary (1849–1927)
* Charles Lanrezac
Charles Lanrezac (31 July 1852 – 18 January 1925) was a French general, formerly a distinguished staff college lecturer, who commanded the French Fifth Army at the outbreak of the First World War.
His army, originally intended to strike the G ...
(1852–1925)
* Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère (1852–1924)
* Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière (1759–1812)
* Dominique Jean Larrey
Baron Dominique Jean Larrey (; 8 July 1766 – 25 July 1842) was a French surgeon and military doctor, who distinguished himself in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. An important innovator in battlefield medicine and triage, ...
(1766–1842), celebrated military surgeon
* Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle (1777–1809), the "Hussar General"
* Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque (22 November 1902 – 28 November 1947) was a Free-French general during the Second World War. He became Marshal of France posthumously in 1952, and is known in France simply as le maréchal ...
(1902–1947), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
* Patrice de MacMahon (1808–1893), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
and President of France
The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency i ...
* Paul Maistre (1858–1922)
* Gabriel Malleterre (1858–1923), Governor 1919–1923
* Charles Mangin (1866–1925)
* (1864–1944), Governor 1923–1944
* Edmond-Charles de Martimprey
Count Edmond-Charles de Martimprey (16 June 1808 – 24 February 1883) was a French soldier, briefly Governor General of Algeria, and then Senator of France for the remainder of the Second French Empire.
Life
Early years (1808–48)
Edmond-Charl ...
(1808–1883), Governor 1870–1871
* Louis de Maud'huy
Louis Ernest de Maud'huy (1857–1921) was a French World War I General and the first Chief Scout of Scouts de France.
Biography
His father was Pierre Adrien de Maud'huy, Battalion Chief in the Napoleon III Imperial Guard and his mother Thér� ...
(1857–1921)
* Michel-Joseph Maunoury (1847–1923), posthumous Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
* Antoine de Mitry (1857–1924)
* Gabriel Jean Joseph Molitor (1770–1849), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
, Governor 1847–1848
* Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey
Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey (or Jannot de Moncey), 1st Duke of Conegliano (31 July 1754 – 20 April 1842) was a French military officer and a prominent commander in the French Revolutionary Wars and later a Marshal of the Empire during the Nap ...
(1754–1842), Marshal of the Empire
Marshal of the Empire (french: Maréchal d'Empire) was a civil dignity during the First French Empire. It was created by '' Sénatus-consulte'' on 18 May 1804 and to a large extent reinstated the formerly abolished title of Marshal of France. Ac ...
, Governor 1833–1842
* Raoul Magrin-Vernerey
Raoul Charles Magrin-Vernerey, also known as Ralph Monclar (born 7 February 1892, died 3 June 1964) was a French officer and 2nd Inspector of the Foreign Legion who fought in World War I, World War II within the ranks of the Free French Force ...
a.k.a. Ralph Monclar (1892–1964), Governor 1862–1864
* Georges Mouton (1770–1838), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
* François-Marie-Casimir Négrier (1788–1848) (heart)
* Robert Nivelle
Robert Georges Nivelle (15 October 1856 – 22 March 1924) was a French artillery general officer who served in the Boxer Rebellion and the First World War. In May 1916, he succeeded Philippe Pétain as commander of the French Second Army in t ...
(1856–1924)
* (1618–1705), Governor 1696–1705
* Philippe Antoine d'Ornano (1784–1863), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
, Governor 1853–1863
* Nicolas Oudinot
Nicolas Charles Oudinot, 1st Count Oudinot, 1st Duke of Reggio (25 April 1767 in Bar-le-Duc – 13 September 1847 in Paris), was a Marshal of the Empire. He is known to have been wounded 34 times in battle, being hit by artillery shells, sabers ...
(1767–1847), Marshal of the Empire
Marshal of the Empire (french: Maréchal d'Empire) was a civil dignity during the First French Empire. It was created by '' Sénatus-consulte'' on 18 May 1804 and to a large extent reinstated the formerly abolished title of Marshal of France. Ac ...
, Governor 1842–1847
* Paul Pau (1848–1932)
* Aimable Pélissier
Aimable-Jean-Jacques Pélissier, 1st Duc de Malakoff (6 November 179422 May 1864), was a Marshal of France. He served in Algeria and elsewhere, and as a general commanded the French forces in the Crimean War.
Biography
Pélissier was born at Ma ...
(1794–1864), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
* Henri Putz
Henri Gabriel Putz (Metz, 26 January 1859 – Metz, 22 February 1925) was a French Army general during World War I.
Early years
He was born in Metz in 1859 as the son of military Jean-Baptiste Henry Putz (1824–1903), who became Brigade Genera ...
(1859–1925)
* (1870–1951), Governor 1944–1951
* Pierre Alexis Ronarc'h (1865–1940)
* Pierre Roques
Pierre Auguste Roques (28 December 1856 – 26 February 1920) was a French general and creator of the French air force.
Biography
Born to a modest family in Marseillan, Hérault, his lively intelligence earned him a study grant that allowed hi ...
(1856–1920), creator of the French Air Force
The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Ar ...
* Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle (), sometimes spelled de l'Isle or de Lile (10 May 1760 – 26 June 1836), was a French army officer of the French Revolutionary Wars. He is known for writing the words and music of the ''Chant de guerre pour l'armé ...
(1760–1836), army captain, author of France's national anthem '' La Marseillaise''
* Pierre Ruffey (1851–1928)
* Auguste Regnaud de Saint-Jean d'Angély
Auguste Michel Étienne Regnaud de Saint-Jean d'Angély, later 2nd Count Regnaud de Saint-Jean d'Angély (30 July 1794, Paris – 1 February 1870 Cannes) was a Marshal of France, soldier and politician.
Biography
Auguste was the illegitimate son ...
(1794–1870), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
* Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud
Armand-Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud (20 August 1798 – 29 September 1854) was a French soldier and Marshal of France. He served as French Minister of War until the Crimean War when he became Commander-in-chief of the army of the East.
Biog ...
(1798–1854), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
* Maurice Sarrail
Maurice Paul Emmanuel Sarrail (6 April 1856 – 23 March 1929) was a French general of the First World War. Sarrail's openly socialist political connections made him a rarity amongst the Catholics, conservatives and monarchists who dominated t ...
(1856–1929)
* Horace François Bastien Sébastiani de La Porta
Horace François Bastien Sébastiani de La Porta ( co, Oraziu Francescu Bastianu Sebastiani di A Porta; 11 November 1771 – 20 July 1851) was a French general, diplomat, and politician, who served as Naval Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs ...
(1771–1851), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
* Jean-Mathieu-Philibert Sérurier (1742–1819), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
, Governor 1804–1815
* Victor d'Urbal
Victor (Louis Lucien), baron d'Urbal (15 November 1858, in Sarreguemines – 29 January 1943, in Paris) was a French officer during the First World War.
Life
He entered the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr on 15 November 1876 and left it i ...
(1858–1943)
* Sylvain Charles Valée
Sylvain-Charles, comte Valée (17 December 1773 – 16 August 1846), born in Brienne-le-Château, was a Marshal of France.
Upon the outbreak of the French Revolution, Valée enlisted in the French revolutionary army and was sent to serve i ...
(1773–1846), Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
Two of these, Gabriel Malleterre and Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque
Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque (22 November 1902 – 28 November 1947) was a Free-French general during the Second World War. He became Marshal of France posthumously in 1952, and is known in France simply as le maréchal ...
, are also honored with a plaque inside the Saint-Louis-des-Invalides cathedral. Another plaque honors Jean de Lattre de Tassigny
Jean Joseph Marie Gabriel de Lattre de Tassigny (2 February 1889 – 11 January 1952) was a French général d'armée during World War II and the First Indochina War. He was posthumously elevated to the dignity of Marshal of France in 1952.
As ...
(1889–1952), posthumous Marshal of France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
, commander of the French First Army during World War II and later commander in the First Indochina War
The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...
, who is buried in Mouilleron-en-Pareds.
File:Caveau des Gouverneurs.jpg, Burial vaults in the beaneath Saint-Louis Cathedral
File:Jean de Lattre de Tassigny memorial plaque, Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, Les Invalides, Paris, France - 20050912.jpg, Plaque honoring Marshal de Lattre de Tassigny in Saint-Louis Cathedral
File:Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque memorial plaque, Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, Les Invalides, Paris, France - 20050912.jpg, Plaque honoring Marshal Leclerc in Saint-Louis Cathedral
See also
* List of museums in Paris
* List of hospitals in France
* List of tallest structures in Paris
The tallest structure in the City of Paris and the Île-de-France remains the Eiffel Tower in the 7th arrondissement, 300 meters high ''(or 330 m including the broadcasting antenna at its top)'', completed in 1889 as the gateway to the 1889 Pari ...
* List of tallest domes
* Military history of France
* San Francisco City Hall, the design of which was influenced by Les Invalides
* La Tour-Maubourg, adjacent Paris Metro stop convenient to Les Invalides
* National Pantheon of Venezuela
* Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral
The Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral ( es, Catedral Metropolitana de Buenos Aires) is the main Catholic church in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is located in the city center, overlooking Plaza de Mayo, on the corner of San Martín and Rivadavi ...
* National Pantheon of the Heroes
The National Pantheon of the Heroes ( es, Panteón Nacional de los Héroes), whose full name National Pantheon of Heroes and Oratory of the Virgin of the Asuncion ( es, Panteón Nacional de los Héroes y Oratorio de la Virgen de la Asunción) is a ...
* Altar de la Patria
Altar de la Patria, or Altar of the Homeland, is a white marble mausoleum in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic that houses the remains of the founding fathers of the Dominican Republic: Juan Pablo Duarte, Francisco del Rosario Sánchez, and Ram� ...
* Artigas Mausoleum
* List of works by James Pradier
* History of early modern period domes
Domes built in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries relied primarily on empirical techniques and oral traditions rather than the architectural treatises of the time, but the study of dome structures changed radically due to developments in mathemati ...
References
External links
*
3d model of interior of Les Invalides
{{DEFAULTSORT:Invalides
Buildings and structures completed in 1676
Baroque buildings in France
Monuments and memorials in Paris
Cemeteries in Paris
Veterans' affairs in France
Military-related organizations
Roman Catholic churches in the 7th arrondissement of Paris
Napoleon museums
Terminating vistas in Paris
Burial sites of the House of la Tour d'Auvergne
Burial sites of the House of Bonaparte
1676 establishments in France
Venues of the 2024 Summer Olympics
Olympic archery venues
Domes
Cathedrals of military ordinariates