Welcome to the church of Les Invalides.
As noted before in previous guides, Les Invalides is a building complex consisting of three
major parts; the Musuem area, the church and the dome.
The church in this case, was built in second place, after the museum area but before the
dome.
Soon after the main Hôpital des Invalides, Louis XIV decided that the veterans also required
a chapel to pray in.
The soldiers' chapel opened in 1677, only one year after the completion of the main
Hôpital des Invalides, but the chapel was officially finished later in 1679.
The chapel is known as "Église Saint-Louis des Invalides".
After it had been completed, daily attendance was required for the veterans staying at Les
Invalides.
When entering this church, many people say it is unlike any other church in Paris, and
I'm sure you can agree.
In contrast to many of the Gothic churches in Paris, the Saint-Louis church is very light
and the much of the interior is made up of white shining marble.
Another thing which separates this church from the others is its connection to the Les
Invalides and its military background.
The background is embraced throughout the church, as you can find a multitude of different
banners and flag hanging from the walls.
The church is also unique due to the fact that it is still rather unknown.
Many of the people who visit it never heard of it prior to their Paris visit, so it is
still somewhat of a hidden gem inside the Les Invalides.
Another evidence of the church's military connection can be found under it, in its crypt.
Under Les Invalides and Église Saint-Louis lie a large number of French 19th and 20th
century officers and generals interred.
"The Soldiers Church", as it is sometimes called, is not only known for its military
background.
The church also houses one of the largest instruments in France; its beautiful organ.
The organ is located at the back of the chapel, above the entrance.
As you can see if you take a look at it, it is not only big but also very beautiful.
The original organ was built during 1686 but has throughout the year received many restorations.
There are still however, some original stops from the 17th century left in the organ.
During the French Revolution, buildings and symbols of the monarchy and the Catholic Church
were often attacked and damaged.
The Église Saint-Louis was no exception and the church was ransacked during the revolution
and lost many of its treasures.
During a period after the revolution, the church was unofficially said to have lost
its religious purpose and it was unofficially renamed to "The temple of Mars" after the
Roman god of War.
After the Revolution, all French orders of chivalry were abolished.
Later when Napoleon Bonaparte came to power, he wanted to reward civilians and soldiers
for brave deeds and not for their nobility rankings.
This led to the formation of a new Order called Légion d'Honneur; the Legion of Honor and
the place you are standing at was the place of Order's very first decoration ceremony
on July 15th, 1804.
The troublesome times of the Revolution was not the only time the church lost some of
its valuable treasures.
The church also lost many of its flags and banners when the Governor of Les Invalides
burned them in 1814.
He didn't burn them without a reason though.
During this time France had lost the Napoleonic Wars and the enemy Coalition forces were surrounding
Paris, so it was simply an act to prevent the enemy from capturing the old flags and
banners.
In 1837, the chapel area of Église Saint-Louis was separated from dome area by a large glass
wall.
From that date and on, the chapel area is considered to be the Église Saint-Louis des
Invalides and the dome area has been given a new name; Église du Dôme