WHERE PARIS PROMOTION
© Noel aux Invalides 2016, production société AmaclioH
oused in the Hôtel National des Invalides
that was built by Louis XIV, the Musée de
l’Armée, the national military museum of
France, is a unique institution in the heart
of Paris topped off by a glistening golden dome visible
throughout town. And from December 15th through
to December 31st, a unique event is being played out
at the Invalides, Christmas at the Invalides. The event
offers a rich programme of Christmas readings and
concerts in partnership with Radio Classique, the
Orchestre de la Nouvelle Europe and music from the
French Army. Special commentated visits, a spectacular
staging of the historic figurines in the Cabinets Insolites
and special visits for children and contests are all on the
agenda.Every evening when night falls an illumination
show offers a light-filled musical production in the
Church of the Dôme with an exceptional staging of
hundreds of candles and candelabras surrounding the
tomb of Napoleon.The museum in and of itself is home to
extraordinary and unique collections bringing
together arms, sumptuous formal state pieces and
recent military equipment reflecting the position
of new technologies in contemporary conflicts. It
is one of the five most visited museums in France
and through its collections one of the three leading
military museums in the world. And the structure also
houses the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte.The institution’s collections are bountiful, diverse
and emanate from myriad sources. Some 500,000
works, objects and documents dating from the Bronze
Age to the 21st century form the backbone of the
museum’s collections. Among the exceptional pieces
in the museum one finds the armour given to Louis
XIV by the Republic of Venice as well as that of Francis
1st, an object that gives an idea of the king’s incredibleheight, estimated at 1.98 metres. Numerous objects,
arms, personal belongings and the coronation regalia
of Napoleon Bonaparte dating from the beginning of
his military career to his exile on Saint Helena are also
found within the collection.A great draw is the Old Department, which
contains one of Europe’s major collections of weapons
and armour displaying this aspect of military history
from the 13th to the 17th centuries. The display, which
includes the Crown collections, is a chronological and
thematic presentation of arms and armour dating
from Saint Louis to Louis XIII. There is a remarkable
collection of medieval swords in a room devoted to
armour and arms from the 13th to the 15th century
while the Louis XIII room features arms and armours
related to the major figures of French history from
Francis I to Louis XIII.129 rue de Grenelle (7th), 08 10 11 33 99Music and Light at the
HÔTEL NATIONAL
DES INVALIDES
Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Portrait de Françoise, 30 juin 1946, Crayons de couleur sur papier à dessin, 65,7 x 50,5 cm. Paris, musée national Picasso – Paris, Inv. MP1367 © RMN-Grand Palais (musée national Picasso - Paris) / Béatrice Hatala ©Succession Picasso, 2017; La Lecture (MP137), Pablo Picasso, 2 janvier 1932, Boisgeloup. Huile sur toile. Paris, musée national Picasso-Paris Photo © RMN-Grand Palais (musée national Picasso-Paris)/ Mathieu Rabeau © Succession Picasso 2017- Gestion droits d’auteur Fichier RMN : 16-516693
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