Restenneth Priory, Forfar, United Kingdom

Photo from Flickr, copyright saxuisse

Historic Site of the week

Les Invalides

Les Invalides is a complex of buildings containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building"s original purpose. The buildings house the Musée de l"Armée, the military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d"Histoire Contemporaine, as well as the burial site for some of France"s war heroes, notably Napoleon Bonaparte.

Louis XIV initiated the project in 1670, as a home and hospital for aged and unwell soldiers: the name is a shortened form of hôpital des invalides. The architect of Les Invalides was Libéral Bruant. The enlarged project was completed in 1676, the river front measured 196 metres and the complex had fifteen courtyards. Jules Hardouin Mansart assisted the aged Bruant, and the chapel was finished in 1679 to Bruant"s designs after the elder architect"s death.

Shortly after the veterans" chapel was completed, Louis XIV commissioned Mansart to construct a separate private royal chapel referred to as the Église du Dôme from its most striking feature. Inspired by St. Peter"s Basilica in Rome, the original for all Baroque domes, it is one of the triumphs of French Baroque architecture. The domed chapel is centrally placed to dominate the court of honour. It was finished in 1708.

Because of its location and significance, the Invalides served as the scene for several key events in French history. On 14 July 1789 it was stormed by Parisian rioters who seized the cannons and muskets stored in its cellars to use against the Bastille later the same day. Napoleon was entombed under the dome of the Invalides with great ceremony in 1840. In December 1894 the degradation of Captain Alfred Dreyfus was held before the main building, while his subsequent rehabilitation ceremony took place in a courtyard of the complex in 1906.

The building retained its primary function of a retirement home and hospital for military veterans until the early twentieth century. In 1872 the musée d"artillerie (Artillery Museum) was located within the building to be joined by the Historical Museum of the Armies in 1896. The two institutions were merged to form the present musée de l"armée in 1905. At the same time the veterans in residence were dispersed to smaller centres outside Paris. The reason was that the adoption of a mainly conscript army, after 1872, meant a substantial reduction in the numbers of veterans having the twenty or more years of military service formerly required to enter the Hôpital des Invalides. The building accordingly became too large for its original purpose. The modern complex does however still include the facilities detailed below for about a hundred elderly or incapacitated former soldiers.

Paula Bull (4 months ago)
Beautiful, well kept. A short walk from the car park

Sarah Takahashi (5 months ago)
Restenneth Priory was a monastic house of Augustinian founded by Jedburgh Abbey with the patronage of King Máel Coluim IV (Malcolm) in 1153, with speculation that it was built on the former Pictish church dedicated to Saint Peter by King Nechtan mac Der-Ilei of Circinn (ancient Kingdom). Now in a ruinous state, the Priory was once built in a square around a cloister with refectory, dormitory, choir, nave, tower and spire.

John Dall (7 months ago)
Beautiful spot, but go on the weekend when the nearby council depot isn't working as you can hear the diggers if the wind is in the right direction. Otherwise its a lovely quiet restful place.

Alistair Muir (15 months ago)
Lovely example of a Scottish Priory, well kept grounds, small capark only three or four spaces. Limited access for wheel chairs to the site. A free to visit Monument

Shona Norman (21 months ago)
Lovely location, interesting place!

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Les Invalides

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