Dôme des Invalides, Baroque dome at Les Invalides complex, Paris, France
Description
The Dôme des Invalides is a baroque dome within the Invalides complex in Paris, rising 107 meters high with a gilded outer shell visible from across the city. The church beneath the dome follows a cross-shaped floor plan with several chapels, while the interior of the dome features large painted frescoes.
History
Louis XIV commissioned the construction in 1670, and architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart completed the dome between 1677 and 1707. Napoleon's remains were placed beneath the dome in 1861, after being brought back from Saint Helena in 1840.
Culture
The dome shelters Napoleon's tomb, with his remains placed inside a red quartzite sarcophagus surrounded by marble sculptures representing his military campaigns. Visitors look down into the crypt from a circular gallery, where the sarcophagus rests on a green granite base.
Practical
The dome and crypt are open daily from 10:00 to 18:00 between April and October, with shorter hours during winter months. Access is through the main Invalides building, and the interior can be explored across multiple levels via stairs and galleries.
Did you know?
The painted ceiling inside the dome displays a multi-layered composition showing Saint Louis presenting his sword to Christ. This arrangement creates optical effects through the placement of paintings across different levels of the dome's architecture.
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Les Invalides
20 m
Tomb of Napoleon
34 m
Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides
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Musée des Plans-Reliefs
179 m
Musée de l'ordre de la Libération
101 m
Historial Charles de Gaulle
220 m
Jardin de l'Intendant
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Cour d'honneur des Invalides
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Jardin de l'Abondance
69 m
Vault of Governors
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Statue de Gribeauval
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Jules Hardouin-Mansart
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Jules Hardouin Mansart
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Tribune organ of the Hotel des Invalides
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