The Invalides: a name that for the French evokes the finest hours in French military history! The greatest French generals are buried here, from the 17th-cenrtury’s Marshal Turenne to WW I’s Marshal Foch, and of course its most famous tenant: Napoleon. We will learn how Napoleon’s remains were returned to his homeland from the island of Saint Helena in 1840, and also talk about the Invalides’ function as a forward-looking institution in its time – a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans under Louis XIII. Finally, we will discover its extraordinary sundials, and the two churches designed there, one of which is the work of brilliant 17th-century architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart.
Places and topics covered
1 : Facade, 2 : Central courtyard, 3 : Soldiers’ Church , 4 : Royal Church, 5 : Napoleon’s tomb
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Informations
Author: Vincent Philippe Departure point: Esplanade des Invalides, outside the gates to the Invalides Access: You can reach it from metro stations: Invalides on lines 8 and 13, Latour Maubourg on line 8, or Saint François Xavier on line 13. Times: The Invalides opens every day at 10am, except on holidays and on the first Monday of every month.
