Les Invalides
| Hôtel des Invalides | |
|---|---|
view of Les Invalides from Eiffel Tower | |
| Alternative names | Les Invalides, Musée de l'Armée |
| General information | |
| Type | Museum, church, hospital, retirement home, mausoleum |
| Architectural style | Baroque |
| Location | Paris, France |
| Coordinates | 48°51′18″N 2°18′45″E / 48.85500°N 2.31250°E |
| Construction started | 1671 |
| Completed | 1706 |
| Inaugurated | 1678 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Libéral Bruant Jules Hardouin-Mansart |
The Hôtel des Invalides (French pronunciation: [o.tɛl dez ɛ̃valid]; lit. 'House of Invalids'), commonly called Les Invalides (French pronunciation: [lez ɛ̃valid]; lit. 'The Invalids'), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldiers' retirement home, the building's original purpose. The buildings house the Musée de l'Armée, the museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine. The complex also includes the Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, the national cathedral of the French military. It is adjacent to the Royal Chapel known as the Dôme des Invalides, the tallest church building in Paris at a height of 107 meters. The latter has been converted into a shrine to some of France's leading military figures, most notably the tomb of Napoleon.