Overview

Hype:

The DÃ´me des Invalides is a large former church in the center of the Les Invalides complex. The dÃ´me was designated to become Napoleons funeral place in a law dated 10 June 1840. The excavation and erection of the crypt, that heavily modified the interior of the domed church, took twenty years to complete and was finished in 1861. Inspired by St. Peters Basilica in Rome, the original for all baroque domes, the DÃ´me des Invalides is one of the triumphs of French Baroque architecture. Mansart raised its drum with an attic storey over its main cornice, and employed the paired columns motif in his more complicated rhythmic theme. The general programme is sculptural but tightly integrated, rich but balanced, consistently carried through, capping its vertical thrust firmly with a ribbed and hemispherical dome. The domed chapel is centrally placed to dominate the court of honour. The interior of the dome, 351 ft high, was painted by Le Brun's disciple Charles de La Fosse with a Baroque illusion of space seen from below. The painting was completed in 1705.

Time:

Fees: A single entrance fee gives visitors access to the entire Les Invalides complex.

Recommended Ages:

	0-3
	4-11
	12-19
	20-49
	50-69
	70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Features:

Architecture
Religious

Links: http://www.musee-armee.fr
https://en.wikipedia.org

Getting There

Navigate to 48.855040, 2.312536.

Location

Closest City or Region: Paris, France

Coordinates: 48.855040, 2.312536

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August 6, 2017 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye, Tara Dye, Laura Dye,

Story

We had a little extra time after visiting the Arc de Triomphe, so we headed over to the Hotel des Invalides, which we though was just one museum. Turns out that it's a whole complex of museums. Maybe we didn't have as much time as we thought. The first place we visited was the Eglise du Dome (Dome Church) where Napoleon Bonaparte is buried. Then we briefly walked through part of the Musee de l'Armee and then headed upstairs to the Musee des Plans-Reliefs.