Les Invalides

Les Invalides is a monumental complex in the seventh arrondissement of Paris, and it is the place where France honours its soldiers and its greatest military leader, Napoleon. Louis XIV founded it in 1670 as a hospital and home for veterans wounded in his wars, since until then, old and disabled soldiers had often been left to beg. The architect Libéral Bruant designed the vast building, with its long facades and courtyards, and it was meant to house several thousand men, who were fed, cared for and given work. The great court of honour, a stone-paved square ringed with arcades, is still the centre of the complex, and a bronze statue of Napoleon stands on the upper gallery. The ensemble is one of the largest and most imposing classical buildings in Paris.

The church that gives the site its skyline is the Dôme des Invalides, added at the end of the seventeenth century by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the architect of Versailles. Its gilded dome rises over the surrounding rooftops and is visible from all over the city. It was built as a royal chapel for Louis XIV, but it is now the burial place of Napoleon Bonaparte. His remains were brought back from the island of Saint Helena in 1840, nearly twenty years after his death, in a grand procession, and placed in a huge sarcophagus of red quartzite, set in a circular crypt open to the church above. The tomb is surrounded by figures and by the burial places of his brother Joseph and of other marshals and generals, and the effect is solemn and imposing. The dome also shelters the tombs of other French military figures, such as Marshal Foch and the military engineer Vauban.

The complex also holds the Musée de l'Armée, one of the great military museums of the world. Its collections cover everything from medieval armour and the weapons of kings to the uniforms of Napoleon's army, and there are galleries on the First and Second World Wars and on General de Gaulle. A museum of relief maps, models of fortified towns, is another unusual feature. The Église Saint-Louis des Invalides, the old soldiers' church, is hung with flags captured in battle.

The esplanade in front of the complex is a vast lawn that runs to the Seine and the Pont Alexandre III. The Eiffel Tower and the Champ de Mars are a short walk away, and the Musée Rodin is nearby.

Allow at least half a day. It suits history lovers, families and anyone interested in French military history. A combined ticket gives access to the museum and the tomb. Check opening times and any closures.