I didn’t visit
l’Hotel des Invalides this trip but want to document the stunning monument in such a beautiful setting on the Left Bank. My favorite bridge,
Pont Alexandre III, leads across the Seine from the Right Bank, pass the impressive Air France building, and then across the vast
Esplanade des Invalides before crossing an old moat and entering the grounds.
Louis XIV built the complex in the 1670’s to offer aid to old soldiers who were either begging in the streets or living off church charity. It soon became the main accommodations for all disabled and impoverished war veterans, housing up to 4,000 of them when it opened in 1676. It was immediately completed by by a chapel known as
Eglise Saint-Louis des Invalides. The golden dome (added along with the Royal Chapel in 1708), which makes the structure the second-tallest monument in
Paris, is a perfect symbol of the Sun King’s reign.
Napoleon was interred here in 1861, 19 years after his burial on St. Helena. He lies in a huge tomb designed by Visconti made out of Finnish woods (which holds six separate coffins before you get to his body) under the golden dome. His son, two brothers, and other military leaders also have tombs in this monument. There are several army museums in the old veterans’ hospital and also a church whose dome was inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. I’ve visited the museum twice but I wasn’t that interested in swords, Napoleon’s stuffed and mounted horse, musketoons, suits of armor, cannons, General Daumesnil’s wooden leg, etc. There’s still a retirement home and medical center for disabled war veterans in the complex; and on any sunny day, you’ll notice old men in wheelchairs on the lawn enjoying the fresh air.
