Much like Napoleon's tomb and other areas of Les Invalides, this museum glorifies French army history. The museums inside host a variety of military exhibitions, including the Musée de l’Armée. Napoleon's tomb evokes near religious reverence for Napoleon and his military career. His brother, Napoleon II, generals, and other military men are interred around Napoleon (Lewis). In 1861, over 40 years after Napoleon I’s death, the floor of the Dome Church was removed and the crypt was converted into a tomb for Napoleon (Lewis). Later regimes began to meld Les Invalides to suit their own ideas of military glory. On July 14, 1789, a mob took weapons and other supplies from Les Invalides to storm the Bastille during the Revolution (Lewis). While Les Invalides was created by a monarch, the masses would involve it in rebellion over a century later. This juxtaposition of violence and religion is a prominent thread throughout Les Invalides’ museums today. Bruant created a soldier’s chapel that was draped with banners that had been taken from enemies in battle (Lewis). Bruant’s greatest challenge when designing Les Invalides was the creation of a place of worship in the grounds. The complex was designed by architect Libéral Bruant and constructed from 1671 to 1676 (Lewis). King Louis XIV ordered the construction of Les Invalides for the housing and care of soldiers that had fought in his wars (Lewis). The history of Les Invalides is firmly based in the legacy of the French military, but this connection to violence and war remains overshadowed by the refined structures and exhibits within. Les Invalides shows how the Exposition Universelles occupied existing areas of Paris in new ways. Now, the Invalides complex houses a variety of museums and tombs, including that of Napoleon I (Lewis). The grounds that lie in front of Les Invalides were used in the 18 Exposition Universelles as a place for exhibition halls. Les Invalides was originally built for the housing and care for disabled veterans (Lewis). Les Invalides, or the Hôtel National des Invalides, stood on the edge of the Seine long before it was used for the Exposition Universelles of Paris (Lewis).
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