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 History (derived ) is the systematic study and 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 The military history of France encompasses an immense panorama of conflicts and struggles extending for more than 2,000 years across areas including modern France, Europe, and a variety of regions throughout the world. According to historian ...

, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for

war veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that h ...

s, the building's original purpose. The buildings house the

Musée de l'Armée The Musée de l'Armée (; "Army Museum") is a national military museum of France located at Les Invalides in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is served by Paris Métro stations Invalides, Varenne and La Tour-Maubourg The Musée de l'Armée w ...

, the military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the

Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine La contemporaine is a French library, museum and archive center specialized on 20th century history. It was named "Bibliothèque de documentation internationale contemporaine" (BDIC) until 2018. The institutions has two centers, one in the Paris Na ...

. 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

Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, 140309 2

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ve ...

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. 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 The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plate ...

measured in width, and the complex had fifteen courtyards, the largest being the

cour d'honneur A ''cour d'honneur'' (; ; german: Ehrenhof) is the principal and formal approach and forecourt of a large building. It is usually defined by two secondary wings projecting forward from the main central block ('' corps de logis''), sometimes w ...

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 Grand ...

from 1676, taking inspiration from his great-uncle François Mansart's design for a to be built behind the chancel of the

Basilica of Saint-Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...

, 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 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,

’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 Jacint Rigau-Ros i Serra (; 18 July 1659 – 29 December 1743), known in French as Hyacinthe Rigaud (), was a Catalan-French baroque painter most famous for his portraits of Louis XIV and other members of the French nobility. Biography 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 l ...

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 The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stor ...

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, 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 The Diocese of the French Armed Forces (french: Diocèse aux Armées Françaises) is a Latin Church military ordinariate of the Catholic Church. Immediately subject to the Holy See, it provides pastoral care to Catholics serving in the French Arm ...

, officially known as Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides.

Architecture

Hôtel des Invalides, North View, Paris 7e 140402 1

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 cit ...

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 reach ...

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, s ...

s. 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 city. ...

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 List of tallest buildings and structu ...

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 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

Burials

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. 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 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 by a law of 10 June 1840, as part of the political project of the orchestrated by king

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 Pr ...

, 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 the ...

. 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 consti ...

, but King

Louis Philippe 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 ...

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 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...

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 Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, vicomte de Turenne (11 September 161127 July 1675), commonly known as Turenne , was a French general and one of only six Marshals to have been promoted Marshal General of France. The most illustrious member of the ...

(1611–1675); 1670s monument by

Gaspard Marsy Gaspard is a Francophone male given name or family name, and may refer to: People Given name * Gaspard II Schetz, Lord of Grobbendonk * Gaspard Abeille (1648–1718), French poet * Gaspard André (1840–1896), French architect * Gaspard Aug ...

and Jean-Baptiste Tuby, originally at the

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 * 1847:

Henri Gatien Bertrand Henri-Gatien Bertrand (28 March 1773 – 31 January 1844) was a French general who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Under the Empire he was the third and last Grand marshal of the palace, the head of the Mi ...

(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

* 1847:

Géraud Duroc Géraud Christophe Michel Duroc (born de Michel du Roc; 25 October 1772 – 23 May 1813), 1st Duke of Frioul (''Duc de Frioul''), was a French general and diplomat who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was note ...

(1772–1813); also by

* 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 1 ...

(1784–1860), Napoleon's youngest brother, Governor of the Invalides 1848–1852; monument by

Alfred-Nicolas Normand Alfred-Nicolas Normand (1 June 1822, Paris – 2 March 1909, Paris) was a French architect and photographer. Biography His father, Louis-Eléonor Normand (1780-1862), was also an architect and provided some of his first lessons. In 1842, he ent ...

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 (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 A ...

(1851–1929), monument by Paul Landowski in the Saint Ambrose (northeastern) chapel * 1963:

Hubert Lyautey Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey (17 November 1854 – 27 July 1934) was a French Army general and colonial administrator. After serving in Indochina and Madagascar, he became the first French Resident-General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925. Early ...

(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

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 the ...

(1856–1941) * Jean-Toussaint Arrighi de Casanova (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 Jean-François Berruyer (25 October 1741, Lyon - 17 April 1804, Paris) was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars. On 1 October 1792, as part of a significant organization of France's armies, he became the 1st Commander of the Army ...

(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 younger ...

(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. Acc ...

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 command ...

(1767–1811) (heart) * Antoine Baucheron de Boissoudy (1864–1926) * Thomas Bugeaud (1784–1849),

, involved in the conquest of Algeria * François Canrobert (1809–1895),

François-Henri de Franquetot de Coigny François-Henri de Franquetot de Coigny, 2ieme duc de Coigny (28 March 1737 – 19 May 1821) was a Marshal of France. Early life He was the son of Jean, Marquis de Coigny (1702–1748) and the grandson of François de Franquetot, 1er duc de Coign ...

(1737–1821),

, Governor 1816–1821 * Victor Cordonnier (1858–1936) * Charles-Marie Denys de Damrémont (1783–1837) *

Vincent Martel Deconchy Vincent Martel Deconchy (21 January 1768 – 26 August 1823) commanded a French brigade in Spain and Italy during the Napoleonic Wars. He joined the army in 1792 during the French Revolution and fought in several battles in the north. After bei ...

(1768–1823) (heart) * Denis Auguste Duchêne (1862–1950) * Guy-Victor Duperré (1775–1846) * (1794–1848) * Jean Baptiste Eblé (1758–1812) (heart) * Louis Franchet d'Espèrey (1856–1942),

Rémy Joseph Isidore Exelmans Marshal Rémy Joseph Isidore Exelmans, 1st Comte Exelmans (, 13 November 1775 – 22 June 1852) was a distinguished French soldier of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, as well as a political figure of the following period. His name is i ...

(1775–1852),

* Émile Fayolle (1852–1928),

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 navy ...

(1842–1934) * Dominique-Marie Gauchet (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 Madagasca ...

(1857–1926) *

Henri Giraud Henri Honoré Giraud (18 January 1879 – 11 March 1949) was a French general and a leader of the Free French Forces during the Second World War until he was forced to retire in 1944. Born to an Alsatian family in Paris, Giraud graduated from ...

(1879–1949) *

Émile Guépratte Émile Paul Aimable Guépratte (30 August 1856 – 21 November 1939) was a French admiral. Biography Guépratte was born in Granville to a family of naval officers. He studied at the ''Lycée impérial'' in Brest from 1868, and joined the Écol ...

(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 m ...

(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 (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 in ...

(1762–1833),

, Governor 1830–1833 * Alphonse Juin (1888–1967),

Jean-Baptiste Kléber Jean-Baptiste Kléber () (9 March 1753 – 14 June 1800) was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars. After serving for one year in the French Royal Army, he entered Habsburg service seven years later. However, his plebeian ancest ...

(1753–1800) (heart) *

Fernand de Langle de Cary Fernand Louis Armand Marie de Langle de Cary (4 July 1849 – 19 February 1927) was a French general during World War I. He commanded Fourth Army when the war began. Early life Fernand Louis Armand Marie De Langle De Cary (1849-1927) was bor ...

(1849–1927) * Charles Lanrezac (1852–1925) * Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère (1852–1924) *

Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière Jean Ambroise Baston de Lariboisière, also Count de Lariboisière, was a general of artillery of the First French Empire. He fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars and died of fatigue at Königsberg in East Prussia on 21 ...

(1759–1812) * Dominique Jean Larrey (1766–1842), celebrated military surgeon *

Antoine Charles Louis de Lasalle Antoine-Charles-Louis, Comte de Lasalle (10 May 1775, Metz6 July 1809, Wagram) was a French cavalry general during the French Revolutionary Wars, Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, often called "The Hussar General". He first gained fame for hi ...

(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),

Patrice de MacMahon Marie Edme Patrice Maurice de MacMahon, marquis de MacMahon, duc de Magenta (; 13 June 1808 – 17 October 1893) was a French general and politician, with the distinction of Marshal of France. He served as Chief of State of France from 1873 to 1 ...

(1808–1893),

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 is ...

Paul Maistre Paul André Marie Maistre, (20 June 1858 – 25 July 1922) was a highly decorated French general who fought in World War I. He graduated from Saint Cyr in 1877, first in his class. He later returned as an instructor. He was promoted to captain in ...

(1858–1922) *

Gabriel Malleterre Pierre Marie Gabriel Malleterre (30 April 1858 - 26 November 1923) was a French general of the First World War. Biography Born in Bergerac in Dordogne, he was admitted into the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr in 1878, studying for the ...

(1858–1923), Governor 1919–1923 *

Charles Mangin Charles Emmanuel Marie Mangin (6 July 1866 – 12 May 1925) was a French general during World War I. Early career Charles Mangin was born on 6 July 1866 in Sarrebourg. After initially failing to gain entrance to Saint-Cyr, he joined the 77th ...

(1866–1925) * (1864–1944), Governor 1923–1944 * Edmond-Charles de Martimprey (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

* Antoine de Mitry (1857–1924) * Gabriel Jean Joseph Molitor (1770–1849),

, Governor 1847–1848 * Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey (1754–1842),

, Governor 1833–1842 * Raoul Magrin-Vernerey a.k.a. Ralph Monclar (1892–1964), Governor 1862–1864 * Georges Mouton (1770–1838),

* 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 the ...

(1856–1924) * (1618–1705), Governor 1696–1705 *

Philippe Antoine d'Ornano Philippe Antoine d'Ornano, 1st Comte d'Ornano (January 17, 1784 – October 13, 1863) was a French soldier and political figure who rose to the rank of Marshal of France. He was made ''Count d'Ornano of the French Empire'' in 1808. He was born a s ...

(1784–1863),

, Governor 1853–1863 * Nicolas Oudinot (1767–1847),

, Governor 1842–1847 * Paul Pau (1848–1932) * Aimable Pélissier (1794–1864),

* Henri Putz (1859–1925) * (1870–1951), Governor 1944–1951 * Pierre Alexis Ronarc'h (1865–1940) * Pierre Roques (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'arm� ...

(1760–1836), army captain, author of France's national anthem ''

La Marseillaise "La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the declaration of war by France against Austria, and was originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du ...

'' * 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),

* Jacques Leroy de Saint-Arnaud (1798–1854),

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 th ...

(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 Affair ...

(1771–1851),

* Jean-Mathieu-Philibert Sérurier (1742–1819),

, 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 (1773–1846),

Two of these,

and

, 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

, 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 ...

, 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

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