Page 190 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Paris

188  P ARIS AREA B Y AREA

1 Dôme des Invalides

Jules Hardouin-Mansart was asked in 1676 by
the Sun King, Louis XIV, to build the Dôme des
Invalides among the existing buildings of the
Invalides military complex. A soldiers’ church
had already been built, but the Dôme was to be
reserved for the exclusive use of the Sun King
and for the location of royal tombs. The resulting
masterpiece complements the surrounding
buildings and is one of the greatest examples
of 17th-century French architecture. Gilded Dome
After Louis XIV’s death, plans to bury the royal The cupola was
family in the church were abandoned, and it first gilded in 1706.
became a monument to Bourbon glory. In 1840
Louis-Philippe decided to install Napoleon’s
remains in the crypt, and the addition of the
tombs of Vauban, Marshal Foch and other figures
of military prominence have since turned this
church into a French military memorial.

1 Tomb of Joseph Bonaparte
The sarcophagus of Napoleon’s older
brother, the King of Naples and later
of Spain, is in the side chapel to the
right as visitors enter.

Key

Tour route

Main
entrance

2 Memorial to Vauban
Commissioned by Napoleon I in 1808, this contains an
urn with Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban’s heart. He was
Louis XIV’s great military architect and engineer who
died in 1707. His long military career culminated in
his appointment as Marshal of France in 1703. He
revolutionized siege warfare when he introduced his
ricochet-batteries. His reclining figure by Antoine Etex
lies on top of the memorial, mourned by Science and War.

188-189_EW_Paris.indd 188 03/04/17 10:56 am
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Starsight template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2)
Date 3rd September 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm