Les Invalides: A Temple for Souls and Bodies

In the 17 th century, Paris was full of demobilised wounded soldiers without resources, who hung around the streets and increased insecurity in the city. At that time, there was nowhere to house them. Through the order of February 1670, King Louis XIV decided to build a place to receive all the officers and soldiers, "both crippled and old", who had served France worthily. Three and a half centuries after the Sun King's founding act, the Hôtel des Invalides is celebrating the event throughout 2020. To accommodate the new building, Louis XIV bought a plot of land on the banks of the Seine near Paris, and entrusted the Marquis de Louvois with the project. Work began in 1671 with the construction of the plain, monumental north facade: a fine illustration of French…