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2017-06-04
The royal chapel of the Invalides complex is the location of the tomb of one of France's favorite native sons.
The Invalides Complex
The complex of buildings known as Les Invalides sits in Paris's 7th arrondissement and consists of museums and monuments related to the military history of France. The most recognizable and well-known part of Les Invalides is the Dôme des Invalides,
Dôme des Invalides
a gold-domed building now used as a burial site for a number of the country's war heroes.
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Its History
Proposed by Louis XIV in 1670 as a home for "invalids" - disabled and impoverished war veterans, Les Invalides was designed by Libéral Bruant and completed in 1676.
That same year King Louis XIV - the Sun King - charged architect Jules Hardouin Mansart with the task of creating a separate private chapel at the Invalides for exclusive use of the royal family. It is this gold-domed church, completed in 1708 by de Cotte after Mansart died, that many
The painted dome
individuals recognize. Inspired by Rome's St. Peter's Basilica, this chapel, known as Église du Dôme, is considered one of the world's most exciting examples of French Baroque architecture.
The dome itself is 107 meters high (351 ft), making it one of the tallest monuments in Paris, and was centrally placed in order to dominate the court of honor - one of fifteen courtyards at the complex, designed for military parades. The inside of the dome was painted by Charles de La Fosse, disciple of eighteenth century well-known French painter, Charles Le Brun.
Napoleon's Tomb
Napoleon's Tomb
Napoleon Bonaparte, whose last wish was to be buried at the banks of the Seine River, died on the island of St. Helena and was buried there until King Louis-Philippe decided to have his body exhumed and returned to Paris in 1840. He chose to have him entombed at Les Invalides.
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In order to accommodate the tomb, architect Louis Visconti had to redesign the high altar of the domed church. Upon completion in 1861, the remains of Napoleon's body were then placed in six coffins inside a tomb, which was fashioned from red Finnish porphyry with a green granite base, and placed inside the crypt.
A dozen large figures are arranged around the tomb, intended to
Vauban Memorial
represent Napoleon's victories. An accompanying statue of the French leader himself, dressed in coronation robes, stands nearby and measures more than 8 feet high (2.4 m), in stark contrast to the emperor's diminutive size.
Also buried at Invalides are several members of Napoleon's family as well as a number of prominent French military leaders and war heroes.
The memorial of Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban, marshal of King Louis XIV's army, was installed here in 1808 at Napoleon's request. The monument contains an urn with the ashes of Vauban. Another large monument in the Dôme des Invalides is the bronze tomb of marshal Ferdinand Foch, commander of the allied armies at the end of the first World War.
Sacré-Coeur,Montmartre
The Sacré-Coeur Basilica is one of Paris's major tourist draws. The majestic building is located on top of the Montmartre hill.
Above all, Montmartre, an area on a hill in the 18th arrondissement, north of downtown Paris, is known for its many artists who have been omnipresent since 1880. The name Montmartre is said to be derived from either Mount of Martyrs or from Mount of Mars. Until 1873, when the Sacré-Coeur was built on top of the hill, Montmartre was a small village, inhabited by a mostly farming community.
The Basilica Project
The project to build the Sacré-Coeur Basilica (Basilica of the Sacred Heart) was initiated by a group of influential people. Their reasons to build this monument was two-fold:
King Louis IX
they had pledged to build a church if Paris escaped unscathed from the war with the Prussians and they saw the defeat of the French at the hands of the Prussian army in 1870 as a moral condemnation of the sins of Paris.
The project was authorized by the National Assembly in 1873, and a competition was organized. The goal was to build an imposing basilica true to Christian traditions.
The Building
The winner of the competition was Paul Abadie, who had already restored two cathedrals in France. He designed an immense basilica in a Roman-Byzantyne style. This architectural style stands in sharp contrast with other contemporary buildings in France,which were mostly built in a Romanesque style.
View from the Basilica to Paris.
Construction of the Basilica started in 1876 with Abadie as the lead architect. When Paul Abadie died in 1884, he was succeeded by Lucien Magne, who added an 83 meter (272 ft) tall clock tower. The Savoyarde clock installed here is one of the world's largest.
Due to its location on the Montmartre hill, the basilica towers over the city; its highest point is even higher than the top of the Eiffel Tower. Thanks to this prominent location the Sacré-Coeur Basilica is one of the most noticeable landmarks in Paris.
White Stones
The Sacré-Coeur Basilica has managed to keep its beaming white color even in the polluted air of a big city like Paris. This can be attributed to the Château-Landon stones which were used for the construction of the Sacré-Coeur. When it rains, the stones react to the water and secrete calcite, which acts like a bleacher.
Once a royal palace and later a prison, the Conciergerie played a dark role in the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror.
Palais de la Cité
Located on the west side of the Île de la Cité, the Conciergerie began its life as a royal palace - the Palais de la Cité. The impressive site was chosen by Phillippe le Bel (Philip the Fair) in the early fourteenth century so that on it he could build a palace that would reflect his wealth and stature. In its heyday - the Middle Ages - the palace was considered one of the finest in the world.
Conciergerie
By the end of the same century, however, Charles V and the Capetian kings chose the palaces of Louvre and Vincennes over the Palais de la Cité (which also includes the current Paris Law Courts and the magnificent Sainte-Chapelle), and what was to eventually become "The Conciergerie" was given over to the Parliament to be used for the kingdom's administrative offices. The care of the palace was left to a gentleman known as the Concierge - thus the name - who had legal and police authority in the city.
Prison
By 1391, the palace had been converted to a prison for both common and political criminals. Wealthy prisoners were given the best accommodations in the former palace while petty thieves were made to sleep in dark, rodent-infested rooms where they often succumbed to diseases such as the plague.
A few remnants of the Conciergerie remain from the Middle Ages: the Silver Tower, which supposedly housed the royal treasury; the Caesar Tower, named for the Roman emperors; and the Bonbec Tower, which housed a torture chamber.
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During the Reign of Terror
The French Revolution (1789-1799) was one of the most violent periods in French history. During these years, the Conciergerie became famous as the location where prisoners were held before they were taken to the guillotine to be beheaded. It also housed the Revolutionary Tribunal, a court set up to trial opponents of the French Revolution.
According to records, the Tribunal sat in the Great Hall of the palace between April 1793 and May 1795 and sent nearly 2,600 prisoners to the guillotine, including Marie Antoinette. Ironically, the original head of the Tribunal, Maximilien Robespierre, was imprisoned here in the Conciergerie before being sent to the guillotine in 1794.
The Later Years
After the Revolution ended, the Conciergerie continued to be used for what the French considered the most important prisoners, such as Napoleon III.
ConciergerieThough it's difficult to tell given its medieval appearance, extensive rebuilding and renovations took place at the palace in the mid-nineteenth century, including the conversion of Marie Antoinette's cell to a chapel. The building was decommissioned for official use in 1914 and then opened to the public as a national historic monument. It remains a popular tourist attraction though access to most of the building is severely limited.
Paradoxically, the Pont Neuf (French for 'New Bridge') is the oldest bridge in Paris.
The Pont Neuf is also Paris's best known bridge and together with the Pont Alexandre III, one of its most beautiful.
History
At the middle of the sixteenth century, only two bridges crossed the Seine river. Since they were in a bad state and constantly overcrowded, King Henry III decided in 1578 to construct a new bridge.
Statue of Henry IV
It wasn't until 1607 before the bridge was officially opened by King Henry IV, who named the bridge 'Pont Neuf'. After the his death, an equestrian statue of the King was erected at the center of the bridge, on the Place du Pont Neuf. The bronze statue was knocked over and melted down during the French Revolution, but is was replaced by an exact replica in 1818.
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Progressive Design
For its time, the 232m (761ft) long and 22m (72ft) wide Pont Neuf was a modern bridge with several innovations. The Pont Neuf was the first bridge in Paris without houses built on it. It was also the first bridge with pavements which made it an immediate hit with the Parisians who used the bridge as a meeting place. Especially the semicircular areas near the pavement were ideal for socializing.
Bridge Spans
The Pont Neuf actually consists of two different bridge spans, one on each side of the Île de la Cité, where the Place du Pont Neuf connects the two spans. The bridge has a total of twelve arches, with one span of seven arches joining the right bank and another span of five arches connecting Île de la Cité with the left bank.