Built from 1676 to 1706 at the direction of Louis XIV as a veterans’ hospital, the Hôtel des Invalides boasts an elegant classical façade and impressive dome. The complex is a fine example of French Baroque architecture by Libéral Bruant, who was assisted and then succeeded by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. (...)
Built from 1676 to 1706 at the direction of Louis XIV as a veterans’ hospital, the Hôtel des Invalides boasts an elegant classical façade and impressive dome. The complex is a fine example of French Baroque architecture by Libéral Bruant, who was assisted and then succeeded by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. Hardouin-Mansart is responsible for the dome of the chapel, the most iconic feature of the building, using designs for a Bourbon Chapel at Saint Denis drafted by his great-uncle as the inspiration for the structure. The exterior of the dome is decorated with gilded military trophies meant to symbolize the martial prowess and victories of the French army. This subject matter is echoed in the allegorical paintings lining the interior of the dome and its rotunda. The tombs of several of the country’s most illustrious military leaders are located in tombs in the chapel. Napoleon Bonaparte’s porphyry sarcophagus is located beneath the dome.
Though the building was dedicated in 1691, its decoration extended throughout the eighteenth century and involved the work of leading painters and sculptors of the day including Chares de la Fosse, Antoine Coypel, Louis de Boullonge, Jean Jouvenet, and Antoine Coysevox. Today, the Hôtel des Invalides houses a museum, hospital, and church, and remains one of the most visited monuments of Paris.
