Les Invalides

Hôtel des Invalides
View of Les Invalides from the Eiffel Tower
Interactive map of the Hôtel des Invalides area
Alternative names
Les Invalides, Musée de l'Armée
General information
TypeMuseum, church, hospital, retirement home, mausoleum
Architectural style
Baroque
LocationParis, France
Coordinates48°51′18″N 2°18′45″E / 48.855°N 2.3125°E / 48.855; 2.3125
Construction started
1671
Completed
1706
Inaugurated1678
Design and construction
ArchitectsLibéral Bruant
Jules Hardouin-Mansart

The Hôtel des Invalides (French: [otɛl dez‿ɛ̃valid]; French for 'House of Invalids'), commonly called Les Invalides ([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 metres (351 ft). The latter has been converted into a shrine to some of France's leading military figures, most notably the tomb of Napoleon.