Hôtel des Invalides

The Hôtel des Invalides includes 4 attractions:  Èglise du Dôme (Church of the Dome), Èglise de St-Louis (Church of the Soldiers), Musée de l’Armée (Military Museum) and the Tomb of Napoléon.

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Hôtel des Invalides

Èglise du Dôme

Hôtel des Invalides 
Moat with Cannnons 

Musée de l’Armée
Cannons

Musée de l’Armée
Cannons 

Hôtel des Invalides Gardens 

Èglise de St-Louis

Altar of Èglise de St-Louis

Organ Loft of
 Èglise de St-Louis

Sarcophagus of Marshal Ferdinand Foch

Sarcophagus of Napoléon

Statue of Napoléon

Sarcophagus of Joseph Napoléon

Dome of Èglise du Dôme

Èglise du Dôme 

Jules Hardouin-Mansart, 1680-91

The building presents a combination of Italian Renaissance and Baroque features, but in a distinctly French manner.  The windows of the dome provide light for the painted visions inside.  Beneath the dome rests the sarcophagus of Napoleon Bonaparte.  It rises 107 meters from the ground and the dome is gilded with 12 kilograms of real gold.  

Sarcophagus of Napoléon 

His body rests in a sarcophagus of red granite on a pedestal of green granite.  Surrounding the tomb are 12 figures of Victories, along with captured enemy flags.  It took 19 years for the British to release Napoleon’s body, which had been originally buried at his place of banishment.  In 1840 Napoleon’s second funeral took place in Paris.  Inside this huge sarcophagus, his body is further enclosed in 6 additional caskets.  Other members of his family and some generals are buried around the sides of the church.