Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Dôme des Invalides to Avenue des Champs-Élysées

Dôme des InvalidesThe complex of buildings known as Les Invalides sits in Paris's 7th arrondissement and consists of muse-ums and monuments related to the military history of France. The most recognizable and well-known part of Les Invalides is the Dôme des Invalides, a gold-domed building now used as a burial site for a number of the country's war heroes. The royal chapel of the Invalides complex is the location of the tomb of one of France's favorite native sons.

Proposed by Louis XIV in 1670 as a home for "inva-lids" - disabled and impoverished war veterans, Les Invalides was designed by Libéral Bruant and com-pleted in 1676. That same year King Louis XIV - the Sun King - charged architect Jules Hardouin Mansart with the task of creating a separate private chapel at the Invalides for exclusive use of the royal family. It is this gold-domed church, completed in 1708 by de Cotte after Mansart died, that many The painted dome of the Invalides seen from inside the chapel individuals recognize. Inspired by Rome's St. Peter's Basilica, this

chapel, known as Église du Dôme, is considered one of the world's most exciting examples of French Baroque architecture.

The dome itself is 107 meters high (351 ft), mak-ing it one of the tallest monuments in Paris, and was centrally placed in order to dominate the court of honor - one of fifteen courtyards at the complex, designed for military parades. The inside of the dome was painted by Charles de La Fosse, disciple of eighteenth century well-known French painter, Charles Le Brun.

Square d’AjaccioSquare d’Ajaccio is a beautiful small public gar-den Square d’Ajaccio, next to the Esplanade des Invalides.

Created in 1865 (during the reign of Napoleon III) this little green space in the 7th arrondissement offers you a sumptuous romantic setting full of flowers in summer. The rest of the time, you can enjoy large trees filling the garden (plane tree, horse chestnut, tulip tree), some of which are cen-tenaries.

Square d’Ajaccio

Napoleon's Tomb within Dome des Invalides in ParisNapoleon Bonaparte, whose last wish was to be buried at the banks of the Seine River, died on the island of St. Helena and was buried there until King Louis-Philippe decided to have his body exhumed and returned to Paris in 1840. He chose to have him entombed at Les Invalides.

In order to accommodate the tomb, architect Louis Visconti had to redesign the high altar of the domed church. Upon completion in 1861, the remains of Napoleon's body were then placed in six coffins inside a tomb, which was fashioned from red Finnish porphyry with a green granite base, and placed inside the crypt. A dozen large figures are arranged around the tomb, intended to Vauban Memorial inside the Dome des In-validesrepresent Napoleon's victories. An accompanying statue of the French leader himself, dressed in coronation robes, stands nearby and measures more than 8 feet high (2.4 m), in stark contrast to

the em-peror's diminu-tive size.

Also buried at In-valides are several mem-bers of Napo-leon's family as well as a num-ber of promi-nent French military

leaders and war heroes.The memorial of Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban, marshal of King Louis XIV's army, was installed here in 1808 at Napoleon's request. The monument contains an urn with the ashes of Vauban. Anoth-er large monument in the Dôme des Invalides is the bronze tomb of marshal Ferdinand Foch, com-mander of the allied armies at the end of the first World War.

Demonstration on the Avenue du Maréchal Gallieni, 75007 Paris, France

The Pont Alexandre IIIThe Pont Alexandre III is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the city. It is classified as a French Monument historique.

The Beaux-Arts style bridge, with its exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses at either end, was built be-tween 1896 and 1900. It is named after Tsar Alexander III, who had concluded the Franco-Russian Al-

Avenue du Maréchal Gallieni 75007 Paris, FranceBetween Place des Invalides and the Quai d'Orsay, it crosses the Esplanade des Invalides in the axis of the Hotel des Invalides and the Pont Alexandre III. It crosses the north, the street of the University and to the south, the Rue Saint-Dominique.

This avenue was traced in 1704 along with the rest of the esplanade, according to a Robert de Cotte plan. Sixteen years later, it was extended northwards to the Quai d'Orsay. In 1900, con-struction of the Alexandre III bridge was con-nected to the Champs Ely-sees. In 1918, in tribute to one who had been the defender of the capital in 1914, a decree

and a decree renamed the Avenue des Invalides "avenue du Gen-eral Gallieni" Gallieni having been raised to the dignity of Marshal of France posthumously in 1921, the name was then changed to that of "Avenue du Maréchal Gallieni"

liance in 1892. His son Nicholas II laid the foundation stone in October 1896. The style of the bridge reflects that of the Grand Palais, to which it leads on the right bank.

The construction of the bridge is a marvel of 19th century engineering, consisting of a 6 metres (20 ft) high single span steel arch. The design, by the architects Joseph Cassien-Bernard and Gaston Cousin, was subject to strict controls that prevented the bridge from obscuring the view of the Champs-Élysées or the Invalides.

The bridge was built by the engineers Jean Résal and Amédée d'Alby. It was inaugurated in 1900 for the Exposi-tion Universelle World's Fair, as were the nearby Grand Palais and Petit Palais. Numerous sculptors provided the sculptures that feature prominently on the bridge. Four gilt-bronze statues of Fames watch over the bridge, sup-

ported on massive 17 metres (56 ft) masonry socles, that provide stabilizing counterweight for the arch, without interfering with monumental views. The socles are crowned by Fames restraining Pegasus.

On the Right Bank, Renommée des Sciences and the Renommée des Arts both by Emmanuel Frémiet; at their bases, La France Contemporaine (by Gustave Michel and France de Charlemagne by Alfred Lenoir. The lions groups are by Georges Gardet.

On the Left Bank, the Renommée du Commerce by Pierre Granet and the Renommée de l'Industrie by Clé by Jules Coutan and La France de Louis XIV by Lau-rent Marqueste. The lions groups are by Jules Dalou.

Nymphs of the Neva relief. The Nymph reliefs are at the centres of the arches over the Seine, memorials to the Franco-Russian Alliance. The "Nymphs of the Seine" has a relief of the arms of France, and faces the "Nymphs of the Neva" with the arms of Imperial Rus-sia. They are both are executed in hammered copper over forms by Georges Récipon. In the same political spirit, the Trinity Bridge in Saint Petersburg was con-ceived as

a memorial to the Franco-Russian Alliance. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel, and the first stone laid in August 1897 by French president Félix Faure.

Grand PalaisParis's Grand Palais was built for the World Fair of 1900. The building is best known for its enormous glass roof. It is home to a science museum, the Palais de la Découverte.

In 1900, Paris was playing host to the World's Fair. Because of the importance of the event, the city un-dertook a number of building projects which included the construction of the Pont Alexandre III, the Grand Palais and the smaller but similar Petit Palais.

The Grand Palais is one of Paris' most recognizable landmarks thanks to its magnificent glass-domed roof. It was the work of three different architects but the project was overseen by famed French architect

Charles Girault, who was then given carte blanche to design the Petit Palais. The building is a beauti-ful combination of a classicist stone facade, Art Nouveau ironwork and glass.

The Grand Palais is currently the largest existing ironwork and glass structure in the world, a title once held by London's Crystal Palace, which was lost in a fire. This palace with the Belle Epoque-style pinnacle boasts 9,400 tons of steel framework, 15,000 sq. meter (162,000 sq ft) of glass, and about 5,000 square meter (5,400 sq ft) of galvanized iron/zinc roofing. The exterior is made of stone and features beautiful colored mosaics and intricately sculpted statues.

For more than one hundred years, the Grand Palais has been a public exhibition hall and host to a variety of grand events. Though the main gallery is now a designated site for displaying contemporary

Petit PalaisMusée des Beaux-ArtsReopened in 2005 after more than four years of renovations, Paris's Petit Palais was - like its counterpart across the street, the Grand Palais - built for the Universal Exposition in the year 1900.

Originally meant to be just a temporary structure to host a large exposition of French art, this magnificent Beaux Arts-

style building - designed by Charles Girault - became a favorite with Paris residents, who refused to tear it down... and it still stands today.

Ionic columns line the front of the rather classi-cal facade of Petit Palais. Like many Beaux Arts buildings, it combines Greek and Roman forms but also includes plenty of ornamentation, making it rather eclectic in style.

While the outside of Petit Palais is certainly im-pressive, many visitors head here to enjoy what's on the inside. The palace's main function is as the Musé des Beaux-Arts (Museum of Fine Arts) of the City of Paris and it is home to an incred-ibly impressive array of artwork spanning several centuries. Some call it a mini Louvre, but without the crowds.

Indeed, you will find works of art at Musée des Beaux-Arts that range from antiquity to the twen-tieth century. Most of the collection is the legacy of Auguste Dutuit, who left the museum additional money to buy yet more artwork. In all, this muse-um owns about 12,000 prints and hundreds more tapestries, sculptures, medieval objects, rare manuscripts, and icons.

art, you'll see everything here from antique car shows to fashion extravaganzas from some of Paris's top design-ers.

There are actually three different areas in the Grand Palais, each with a different entrance: the Palais de la Découverte (a science museum) is at the Avenue Franklin Roosevelt, the Galeries National du Grand Palais (an ex-position hall) has an entrance at the Clémenceau Square and the entrance to the Nef du Grand Palais (an event hall) is at the Avenue Winston Churchill (opposite the Petit Palais).

Jardin du Petit Palais - Musée des Beaux-Arts

Most impressive is the collection of wonderful eighteenth and nineteenth century French paintings including works by such magnificent artists as Delacroix, Monet, Sisley, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and Courbet.

The Avenue des Champs-ElyséesThe Avenue des Champs-Elysées is probably the most famous avenue in the world. This impressive street stretches from the Place the la Concorde to the Place Charles de Gaulle, the site of the Arc de Triomphe, which you can see a bit of below. I could have gotten a better shot, but did not want to get run over!

The Champs-Elysées is almost two kilometers long and seventy meters wide. At its western end the street is bordered by cin-emas, theaters, cafés and luxury shops. On the opposite end, near the Place de la Concorde, the street is bordered by the Jardins des Champs-Elysées, beautifully arranged gardens with fountains and some grand buildings including the Grand and Petit Palais at the southern side and the Elysée at its northern side. The latter has been the residence of the French Presidents since 1873.

The Arc de Triomphe below:

Jardins des Champs-Elysées