Saint-Louis des Invalides Church

• A closer look at one of the most visited monuments in Paris.
• This book offers a concise and precise insight into the history and remarkable architecture of the building.
• A richly illustrated, educational guide written by specialists in the Hôtel des Invalides.
• An accessible (price, subject) and recent publication that fills a gap in the panorama of works dedicated to this major monument in the history of France.

An emblematic monument of the Parisian architectural landscape and a major achievement of ^17th-century architecture, the Hôtel des Invalides is one of the capital's most popular sites, welcoming more than a million visitors a year. Famous for its magnificent gilded dome housing Napoleon's tomb, the building, whose construction began in 1671, was initially designed on the orders of Louis XIV to house invalid soldiers. It took architects Libéral Bruant and Jules Hardouin-Mansart thirty-five years to complete this vast complex comprising a hospital, a church and a royal chapel. Today it also houses the Musée de l'Armée, and its main courtyard continues to host numerous military and civilian ceremonies.

Boris Bouget is head of the publishing and scientific events department at the Hôtel des Invalides. He is the author of a thesis entitled "De peu d'effet. Le fusil et le combat d'infanterie au ^XVIIIe siècle (1692-1791). Models, tactics and effectiveness.

Sébastien Bontemps is in charge of heritage development at the Hôtel des Invalides. A graduate of the École du Louvre, he completed a thesis on religious sculpted decoration in Paris (1660-1760) at the University of Aix-Marseille.

Sylvie Le Ray-Burimi is head curator at the Hôtel des Invalides and head of the Fine Arts and Heritage Department at the Musée de l'Armée.