Les Invalides

Les Invalides in Paris, France consists of several buildings containing museums and monuments, all relating to France's military history and is the burial site for France's war heroes. It was originally built by King Louis XIV in 1670 as a home and hospital for aged and unwell soldiers: the name is a shortened form of hôpital des invalides, the hospital for invalids.

The most notable tomb at Les Invalides is that of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) in the crypt under the dome. Napoleon was initially interred on Saint Helena, but King Louis-Philippe arranged for his remains to be brought to St Jerome's Chapel in Paris in 1840. A renovation of Les Invalides took many years, but in 1861 Napoleon was moved to the most prominent location under the dome at Les Invalides.

A popular tourist site today, Les Invalides is also the burial site for some of Napoleon's family, several military officers who served under him, and other French military heroes such as:

• Joseph Bonaparte (1768 - 1845) -- Napoleon's eldest brother;
• Jerome Bonaparte (1785 - 1851) -- Napoleon's youngest brother;
• Napoleon II of France (1812 - 1833) -- son of Napoleon;
• Geraud Duroc (1774 - 1814) - Officer who fought with Napoleon;
• Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle (1760 - 1836) Army captain, he is the author of France's national anthem, La Marseillaise;
• Antoine Marie-Roger de Saint-Exupery (1900 - 1944) - author of The Little Prince;
• Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne (1611- 1675) The Viscount de Turenne, he was Marshal of France under King Louis XIV and is one of France's greatest military leaders.

Portal to Court of Honor	Dome of Les Invalides
Door to Napoleon's Tomb	Tomb of Napoleon

See also: List of other famous cemeteries

External link

• Hôtel des Invalides (http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paris/hist/invalides.html)