Invalides paris napoleon tomb
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Architect Liberal Bruant designed an immense quadrilateral of courtyards, dormitories and buildings.
The Boulogne room contains a few of the Emperor’s personal possessions, notably: his saddle for the Coronation, his sword at Austerlitz, his sash of the Légion d’Honneur, his grey coat, his hats and a (pitched) military tent. The complex could accommodate up to 4,000 boarders. The first invalids moved in as early as 1676. People lived there, worked in workshops and prayed in a church. Les Invalides was therefore at once a hospital, a retirement home and a barracks.
Building the Dome
A few years later, minister Louvois commissioned Jules Hardouin-Mansart to build a royal chapel. Between 1679 and 1706, he erected the Dôme des Invalides, one of France's most beautiful Baroque buildings. Its golden dome immediately became a landmark in the Parisian skyline. It's an architectural manifesto: grandeur of the king, splendor of the kingdom.
Louis XIV visiting the Invalides in 1706, painting by Pierre-Denis Martin.
Les Invalides and the Revolution
On July 14, 1789, the Invalides played a crucial role. That morning, rioters seized rifles and cannons from the arsenal.
The display cases are brimming with objects that speak to history buffs and the curious alike. Floating from the ceiling are military flags taken from the enemy, silent witnesses to the glory and sacrifices of the French armies.
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Le dôme des invalides interior view/ photo by RistoH/Shutterstock.com
The Army Museum
A cannon from the Musée de l'Armée / Photo chosen by monsieur de France: by Jean-Paul Verpeaux from Pixabay
It's hard to imagine a more fitting location for a military museum. The Musée de l'Armée, founded in 1905, brings together over 500,000 exhibits. Here, we traverse a thousand years of the history of war, weaponry and memory.
There's a touch of Roman emperor grandeur here — part Pantheon, part showbiz. The body of the Emperor Napoleon I was finally laid to rest there on 2 April 1861.
The Military Museum (whose director is officially “the “Keeper of the Emperor’s tomb”!) is housed in one wing of the Invalides.
The museum also includes a Charles de Gaulle memorial. You may get the rare chance to stand in that magnificent space in near silence, with only the sound of your own footsteps for company. Over the tomb stands a statue by Simart representing Napoleon as a Roman emperor.
Inside the church, two side chapels contain the tombs of Joseph and Jerôme Bonaparte.
Don't miss the mosaic floor, the sculpted bas-reliefs, and the Latin inscriptions. Even today, it hosts solemn ceremonies. It's here that the Nation pays tribute to its heroes, at funerals or official tributes. There's also a superb collection of antique cannons lined up along the galleries. The Cour d'Honneur is both a showcase of classical architecture and a place where France's military heart still beats.
La cour d'honneur des Invalides/ photo by Ivan Soto Cobos/Shutterstock.com
What to see around Les Invalides
The Invalides esplanade
Impossible to miss this vast green space stretching out in front of the monumental facade. L'esplanade des Invalides is like a carpet linking the Dome to the Seine. People stroll here, rest here, sometimes picnic here.
Here visitors can see a reconstruction of Napoleon’s drawing room with the Emperor’s deathbed, various pieces of furniture and his personal belongings.
Karine Huguenaud
Visit Les Invalides in Paris: Napoleon's tomb and museum
Summary:
In this article, I will tell you about everything you absolutely must see at Les Invalides (Napoleon I’s tomb, the Dome, the Army Museum), what to explore around it in the 7th arrondissement, and the history of the site from Louis XIV to today.
Through his writing, he aims to make French history accessible, highlight real stories and local heritage, and guide visitors to the most meaningful and authentic French destinations.
Monsieur de France is more than a travel guide: it is a cultural bridge for readers around the world who want to truly understand France — its history, its identity, its symbols, and its living heritage.
The Dome (tomb of Napoleon)
Under the authority of Louis XIV, the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart had the Invalides' royal chapel built from 1677 onwards.
The First Empire has its rightful place. Bicorns, marshals' coats, decorated weapons, regimental flags: everything recalls the Napoleonic legend. The Restoration room is devoted to the islands of Elba and Saint Helena. In 1800, Napoleon I decided to place Turenne's tomb there and turned the building into a pantheon of military glories.
In 1840, Napoleon had been buried on Saint Helena Island since 1821, and King Louis-Philippe decided to have his remains transferred to Les Invalides in Paris.
The Best Paris Activities
The Architecture & Design of the Tomb
The sarcophagus of Napoleon beneath the golden dome, photo by Mark Craft
Let's talk gravitas. Visconti's design didn't whisper; it roared. Lined with galleries, it was once used for military gatherings. The esplanade also has a history. Developed as early as the 18th century, it was long used for military parades and parades. Even today, it's not uncommon for open-air exhibitions or concerts to be held here. And the view it affords of the gilded dome remains one of the most beautiful vistas in Paris.
Saint-Louis des Invalides Church / photo par Mistervlad/Shutterstock.com
The Alexandre III Bridge
Just a stone's throw from the Invalides, you cross the Seine on what is undoubtedly the most beautiful bridge in Paris. The Pont Alexandre III, inaugurated in 1900 for the Universal Exhibition, is a masterpiece of elegance. With its monumental lampposts, gilded statues and delicately decorated arches, it symbolizes the Belle Époque.
Marshal Ferdinand Foch, hero of World War I, rests here as well, along with Marshal Lyautey, whose tomb sits opposite Napoleon's like an eternal stare-down.
In 2021, the "Memento Marengo" installation marked the bicentenary of Napoleon's death with theatrical flair: holograms, battlefield echoes, and a modern rethinking of the emperor's complicated legacy.
Halfway along the gallery, there is a vault containing the coffin of the King of Rome, transferred there on 15th December, 1940, and placed under a marble slab in the crypt on 18th December, 1969. The Napoleon's Tomb architecture plays out like an opera of power and symbolism. A circular gallery houses ten white marble bas-reliefs by Simart, all showing episodes from Napoleon’s reign.
The sarcophagus of World War I general Ferdinand Foch, photo by Mark Craft
The Tomb of Napoleon in Paris may be the headliner, but he's not alone under the dome.