Les Invalides officially known as L’Hôtel national des Invalides (The National Residence of the Invalids), is a complex of buildings containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, plus a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building’s original purpose. The buildings also house the military museum of the Army of France, as well as the burial site for many of France’s war heroes, including Napoleon Bonaparte.

Its “wedding-cake” style double-shelled dome partically inspired Thomas U. Walter  when he designed the present dome of the United States Capitol. When we stopped outside for a quick view on a city-wide coach tour, we had no idea that the complex was as large as it really is. The online photos I’ve seen of the inside are beautiful and hope to return some day to see for myself.