The

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), 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 soldi ...

() is a

French military The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' military ...

personality and figure, named by the

French Government The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

() to direct the institution of the

Hôtel des Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), 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 soldi ...

() of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

History

Since creation, the Hôtel des Invalides () was directed by Governors until 1792. A General Administration Council () ensured the direction of the institute from 1793 to 1796. Since then, the latter's directorate was exercised successively by Commandants, from 1796 to 1803, Governors from 1803 to 1871, then Commandants from 1871 to 1941, and again by Governors since that date.

Attributions

The function is assured by a général officer nominated for a period of five years by the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

based on the proposition of the Council of Ministers (). These attributions are fixed by a decree of February 25, 1961, modified by another decree of May 6, 1991. The Governors of Les Invalides is member by

rights Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

() to the administration council of the national Institute of

, at the title of the representatives of the State, with the title of

Vice-President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

. « Designated to represent the President of the Republic, titular protector of the Institution, near by the retired

veterans A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

and military wounded, hospitalized at the

Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), 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 sold ...

, he exhausts all his influence so that the concerned veterans, in all sort of, and under any circumstances, are attested for their service and have the recognition of the

Nation A nation is a type of social organization where a collective Identity (social science), identity, a national identity, has emerged from a combination of shared features across a given population, such as language, history, ethnicity, culture, t ...

. ». He is a member by right of Law of 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 (Paris Métro and RER), Invalides, Varenne (Paris Métro ...

. He authorizes all the diverse manifestations and official ceremonies that take lieu at the corps of the

(), out of which notably the Cathedral Saint-Louis of Les Invalides (). He resides in the Hôtel des Invalides, along with his secretariat. If he dies in office while in official function () tenure, he could be buried in the Governors Vaults. Since August 1, 2017, the Governor of Les Invalides is Army corps general Christophe de Saint-Chamas, who succeeded to général d'armée Bertrand Ract-Madoux, resigning from the date of May 12, 2017. File:Louis XIV Invalides Pierre Denis Martin.JPG, Hôtel Royal des Invalides visited by

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

. File:Invalides 1683.jpg, Les Invalides in 1683 under Louis XIV. File:Canons Louis XV cour Invalides.jpg, A series of bronze Canon de 12, époque of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

, Honorary Courtyard () of

. File:Cour d'honneur des Invalides, Paris 11 June 2013.jpg, Honorary Courtyard () with National colors. File:HoteldesInvalides-P07.jpg, Dôme of the

. File:La cour des Invalides de nuit.jpg, Honorary Courtyard by night animated since 2011 by the spectacle « Night at

() ».

Governors and Commandants of Les Invalides since 1670

* 1670–1678: François Lemaçon d'Ormoy (1...–1677) * 1678–1696: Chevalier André Blanchard de Saint-Martin (1613–1696) * 1696–1705: (1626–1705) * 1705–1728: Alexandre de Boyveau (1646–1727),

Maréchal de camp ''Maréchal de camp'' (sometimes incorrectly translated as field marshal) was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848. The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general ( French: ''sergent-major général'') ...

* 1728–1730: Eugène de Beaulieu * 1730–1738: Pierre de Vissec (1652–1737) * 1738–1742: Joseph de Mornay (1670–1742), designated simultaneously as Marnais de la Bastie, Knight of Saint-André * 1742–1753: Jean-Marie Cornier de la Courneuve (1670–1753) * 1753–1766: General François d'Azemard (1695–1766) * 1766–1783: Lieutenant-General (1713–1783) * 1783–1786: Lieutenant-General (1715–1786) * 1786–1792: Charles-François Virot,

Marquis A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or wido ...

de Sombreuil (1727–1794) * 1793–1796: General Council Administration * 1796–1796: General (1757–1813), Commandant * 1796–1797: General , Commandant * 1797–1804: General Jean-François Berruyer (1738–1804), Commandant then designated as Governor on August 28, 1803 * 1804–1815: Marshal Jean Mathieu Philibert Sérurier (1742–1819) * 1816–1821: Marshal François Henri de Franquetot (1737–1821) * 1821–1822: Marshal (1755–1832), interim Governor of the Royal Hotel of Les Invalides from May 19, 1821, until January 1, 1822 * 1822–1830: General Victor de Faÿ (1768–1850) * 1830–1833: Marshal

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) * 1833–1842: Marshal Bon Adrien Jeannot de Moncey,

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

of Cornegliano (1754–1842) * 1842–1847: Marshal

Nicolas Charles Oudinot Nicolas Charles Oudinot, duc de Reggio (; 25 April 1767 – 13 September 1847), was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He is known to have been wounded 34 times in battle, being hit by artillery shells, sa ...

, Duke of Reggio (1767–1847), died in office while in official function tenure at the age 80 * 1847–1848: Marshal of France Gabriel Jean Joseph Molitor (1770–1849) * 1848–1852: Prince Jérôme Napoléon (1784–1860) * 1852–1853: Divisional general Jean-Toussaint Arrighi de Casanova (1778–1853), died in office while in official function tenure at age 75 * 1853–1863: Marshal of France Philippe Antoine d'Ornano (1784–1863), died in office while in official function tenure at age 79 * 1863–1870: Divisional general (1786–1870), senator of the Second French Empire (); died in office while in official function tenure at age 84 * 1870–1871: Divisional general Edmond-Charles de Martimprey (1808–1883), Senator of the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

* 1871–1891: General Louis Sumpt (1816–1891), Commandant * 1891–1902: Brigadier general Paul-Édouard Arnoux (1822–1902), Commandant * 1902–1919: Divisional general Gustave Léon Niox (1840–1921), Commandant * 1919–1923: Brigadier general Gabriel Malleterre (1858–1923), Commandant, died in office while in official function tenure at age 65 * 1924–1944: Brigadier general (1864–1944), Commandant then Governor in 1941, died in office while in official function tenure at age 80 * 1944–1944: Brigadier general Guy Pinon (1888–1947) * 1944–1951: Divisional general Antoine Rodes (1870–1951), died in office while in official function tenure at age 81 * 1951–1960: Army air general Jean Houdémon (1885–1960), died in office while in official function tenure at age 75 * 1961–1962: Divisional general André Kientz (1896–1962), died in office while in official function tenure at age 66 * 1962–1964: Army corps general Raoul Magrin-Vernerey (1892–1964), died in office while in official function tenure at age 72 * 1 September 1964 – 30 March 1973: Brigadier general Jacques de Grancey (1893–1973), died in office while in official function tenure at age 80 * 15 July 1973 – 14 July 1991: Army general Gabriel de Galbert (1912–2001) * 15 July 1991 – 31 December 1996: Army general Maurice Schmitt (1930–) * 1 January 1997 – 30 June 2002: Army general Bertrand de Lapresle (1937–) * 1 July 2002 – 30 June 2009: Army general (1941–) * 1 July 2009 – 31 August 2014: Army general (1947–) * 19 September 2014 – 22 May 2017: Army general Bertrand Ract-Madoux (1953–) * Since 1 August 2017: Army corps general Christophe de Saint-ChamasDécret du 19 juillet 2017 portant nomination du gouverneur des Invalides - M. le général de corps d'armée de Saint Chamas (Christophe)
published by JORF on July 22, 2017. (1959–)

External links

* Official Website of

{{URL, www.invalides.org.

References

Notes