Discovering French History at the Hôtel National des Invalides

You've surely heard of the famous tomb of Emperor Napoleon I, enclosed in six successive coffins within the crypt of the majestic Dome of Les Invalides. But did you know that long before the arrival of the first Emperor of the French at this monument, another monarch had left his mark on Les Invalides? This monarch was King Louis XIV, known as Louis the Great, or the Sun King.

Indeed, in 1670, he decreed, by royal edict, the creation of a monumental building with multiple functions (hospital, military, and religious): the Hôtel Royal des Invalides. The reason is simple: as a warring king, Louis XIV wanted both to attract new potential recruits (by guaranteeing them care in case of illness, old age, or injury) and to address the public health problems posed by veterans left to their own devices, who often resorted to banditry and begging. An act of charity, but also a political one, undertaken alongside the construction of his Palace of Versailles (the same artists, such as Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Charles de La Fosse, worked on both projects), the Hôtel Royal des Invalides quickly became a model in this field, even reaching the United Kingdom and the Russian Empire.

While retaining its original mission—the now-National Hôtel des Invalides still cares for war veterans and victims of attacks—a new function was added during the 19th and 20th centuries: a museum dimension. Because within its 15 hectares, you'll find not one, not two, but three museums: the Army Museum, the Museum of Relief Maps, and the Museum of the Order of the Liberation.

If you're passionate about French history and its great figures, or if you'd like to discover the second cathedral of Paris, whose height made it the tallest building in Paris until the inauguration of the Eiffel Tower in 1889, I would be delighted to guide you through its most famous spaces, from the Cour d'Honneur to the gilded dome of Les Invalides, including the armor of Francis I and the relief map of Les Invalides, created between 1679 and 1690.

Tours are suitable for all audiences (school groups, adults, people with disabilities, corporate groups, etc.), for groups or private visits.