Dôme des Invalides

The Dôme des Invalides stands at the centre of the Hôtel national des Invalides complex in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, its gilded cupola one of the most recognisable silhouettes on the city's skyline. Designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and completed in 1708, the building was commissioned under Louis XIV as a chapel for the soldiers housed in the adjoining barracks and hospital. It became a monument of national significance in 1840 when the remains of Napoleon Bonaparte were interred beneath its dome in a tomb of red quartzite from the Vosges, drawing visitors from across the world ever since.

Today the Dôme forms part of the Musée de l'Armée and continues to hold the tombs of several French military figures alongside Napoleon's. The current programme includes the Invalides Aura Immersive Experience, a large-scale light and sound installation that transforms the interior architecture after dark, casting the painted ceilings and monumental stonework in a new perspective for those who have already encountered the space by day.