Hôtel des Invalides, Paris

Les Invalides is a vast Parisian complex devoted to France’s military history, combining museums, churches, monuments, a hospital, and accommodation for former soldiers. Its original purpose was to care for aged or disabled veterans, and that mission still survives in part today. The long stone buildings lead your eye toward the Dôme des Invalides, the great chapel created by Jules Hardouin-Mansart alongside Libéral Bruand’s work.

The dome rises to 107 metres, making it the tallest church building in Paris. Inside, Charles de La Fosse painted an illusionistic ceiling in which Saint Louis presents his sword to Christ; the painted architecture makes the space seem to open into the sky. Beneath this dome, Napoleon’s tomb turns the chapel into a national shrine to France’s military figures.

Louis XIV ordered the project in 1670, and construction began in 1671. The complex also played a direct role in the upheaval of 14 July 1789, when Parisian rioters seized weapons stored in its cellars before going on to attack the Bastille. Today, the Musée de l’Armée, the Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, and the Dôme keep that military memory visible in both collections and stone.