The Hôtel des Invalides, commonly called Les Invalides, 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 Soldiers' retirement home, 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, 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 Dôme des Invalides, 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.
Aerial view of Les Invalides
The Dôme des Invalides, 107 metres (351 ft) tall and decorated with 12.65 kilograms (27.9 lb) of gold leaf, is an important landmark in Paris.
François Mansart's second project for the Chapel of the Bourbons in Saint-Denis
Louis XIV ordering the construction of Les Invalides
7th arrondissement of Paris
The 7th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as le septième.
View of the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides, two landmarks of the 7th arrondissement
Construction of Hôtel de Salm, 1787. Paris, Musée Carnavalet.
Exposition Universelle in 1889, the entrance arch is known as the Eiffel Tower
Champ-de-Mars view from the top of the Eiffel Tower