The National Residence of the Invalids

The full name of the Invalides is the Invalides, located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It was built by order of Louis XIV and was originally used to house disabled soldiers. Now the main part has been converted into a military museum, and the original church has been converted into Napoleon's mausoleum, attracting tourists from all over the world to visit every day. In front of the Invalides Square is the Invalides Square. There are large lawns on both sides of the road. Many locals rest and play on the grass. Some play football, throw rugby, and more are lying in the sun, reading, or chatting. It seems that during the weekend, Parisians are not staying at home, and all run to the grass. Be careful not to make loud noises during the tour. There are still some old soldiers living in the Invalides. #Honor Court#The Invalides is composed of the following seven exhibition halls with different architectural styles, themes and eras. After passing through the gate, you will come to the Court of Honor (Courd'Honneur), where the classical French cannons are placed. It is a rectangular square surrounded by two-story buildings. The buildings on both sides are the French Military Museum, the ancient Arms and Armour Department of the 13th-17th centuries to the west, the Modern Department of Louis XIV to Napoleon III to the east (Modern Department, 1643-1870) and the Charles de Gaulle Memorial Hall , to the south is the World War Museum (TheWorldWarDepartment, 1871-1945). Directly opposite the Court of Honor is the Saint-Louis Church of the Military Church, and connected to it is the Royal Church, the Dome Church. The Court of Honor shows the development history of the French Army Artillery over the past two centuries. Visitors can learn about the production and function of the artillery through the visit, and have the honor to see the great achievements of the important French artillery inventors. There are 60 artillery pieces of various historical periods on the east and west sides of the square. Standing on the square of the Court of Honor, you can see the golden dome of the Dome Church. #St.LouisChurch# The first thing you will visit when you go south from the Court of Honor is St.Louis Church. It is the heart of the entire Les Invalides and the place where Louis XIV and later kings, emperors and soldiers prayed to God together. On both sides of the main hall of the church, there are nearly a hundred flags captured by the French army from the enemy in battles of various sizes from 1805 to the beginning of the 20th century. They symbolize the history of the French army and the spirit of courage and invincibility. If you look closely, you can see that two of the flags have the characters "Zhao" and "Zhang" written on them. It is said that they may be the flags of the Qing army captured when the Eight-Power Allied Forces invaded China; there are also several flags with patterns that resemble Chinese characters. , you may wish to pay attention when visiting. The altar on the front of the church has a religious nature and a political color. The Saint-Louis church has now become a dedicated church for the French army. Corresponding to the altar is a set of huge pipe organs, which were made by the royal carpenter Germain Pilon between 1679-1687. #Dome Church# Next to the Church of St. Louis is the Dome Church (Eglis du Dome), which was built in 1677-1706. Corresponding to the Church of St. Louis as a soldier's church, the dome church became the royal church of Louis XIV. The chapel, so the reliefs in the church are based on the theme of celebrating the great achievements and royal rights of Louis XIV. The painting on the dome of the Dome Church is the work of two outstanding students of the French painter Le Brun. There is a canopy on the front of the church, and behind the canopy is a large crucifix. Then you will see the mausoleums of many war generals at that time one after another. In the center of the church is Napoleon's mausoleum. Visitors can look down on his mausoleum from the circular corridor around the round pool. The coffin hewn from red quartz stone is placed on a green granite base, and the wavy lid of the coffin resembles the boat-shaped military cap worn by Napoleon during his lifetime. The pillars of the circular corridor around the round pool are also engraved with 12 relief statues of the goddess of victory, which symbolize the wars and victories Napoleon experienced. The colorful marble on the floor of the round pool is engraved with the names of Napoleon's 8 victories. Next to Napoleon's mausoleum are the mausoleums of his two brothers and sons, which can be visited together. #Military Museum# After visiting the two churches, if you have enough time, you may wish to visit the Military Museum. The Military Museum houses 24 classics, each of which is indissoluble in its own way with military history. The collection includes weapons, uniforms and coats of arms of politicians and military strategists made with the exquisite technology of the year; collections with special significance due to historical reasons; used by artists to interpret their own views on war, soldiers, victory and war lethality Perspective artwork. The Ancient Pavilion houses most of the weapons and armor of Europe from the thirteenth to seventeenth centuries. Here you can see the bird's head helmet, the lion armor of François I and the crown prince armor of Henry II. In the modern museum, ordinary military uniforms, luxurious dresses, equipment of the French and foreign legions, weapons, saddles, medals, decorations, military flags, figurines of historical figures, musical instruments, small artillery and personal items of great men such as Napoleon and his marshals are displayed. In addition, the exhibition hall also displays a series of modern paintings with the theme of major events. You can see small cannons made of gold and silver and the dress worn by Napoleon's cronies Marshal Rana. In addition, in addition to the regular exhibits in the military museum, two large-scale exhibitions are held every year. At the same time, classical concerts and other conferences are held here regularly. #De Gaulle Memorial Hall and World War Hall# In addition, you can also visit the Charles de Gaulle Memorial Hall and the World War Hall. The De Gaulle Memorial Hall is an audio-visual memorial hall, showing the life of Charles de Gaulle and the history of the twentieth century that was deeply influenced by de Gaulle. There are no exhibits in the exhibition hall, and all kinds of audio and video files are the main ones. In addition to a variety of fixed and active archived images from news, posters and photography, it also includes interviews with historians, interactive books, wall projections, cards, TV show columns, interactive world maps, and more. Later, I went to the World War Museum, which introduced the military history of France from 1871 to 1945 and the history of the two world wars in the twentieth century. There are more than 1,000 exhibits and a wide variety of exhibits, including French and foreign military uniforms, such as the uniforms of Marshal Foch, General Xavier, General de Rattle and General Leclerc, items brought back from the former colonies, Historical design models, weapons and equipment, soldiers' daily necessities and valuables, etc. In addition, badges, paintings, personal data such as letters, postcards, maps and relief maps are displayed in the exhibition hall, making the exhibition more vivid and comprehensive. Shopping, taking a nap, and having a cup of coffee You can also go to the French National Museums (RMN) chain bookstore and souvenir shop at the ticket office at the entrance of Place Vauban to buy military books and various derivative products. If you are tired of shopping, you can order a cup of fragrant French coffee in the cafe next to you and take a leisurely nap.