Where is Napoleon's tomb located?
Napoleon's tomb is located beneath the dome of Les Invalides in Paris. It was built to hold his remains after their return to France from Saint Helena in 1840, an event known as the retour des cendres.
Questions about Napoleon's tomb
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When was Napoleon's tomb completed and inaugurated?
Napoleon's tomb was inaugurated by Emperor Napoleon III on the 2nd of April 1861, more than two decades after planning began in 1840. By the time it opened, the king who had commissioned it, its architect, and its two lead sculptors had all died.
Who designed Napoleon's tomb?
Architect Louis Visconti designed Napoleon's tomb after winning a competition among 81 architects in 1842 and finalizing his design around mid-1843. Visconti died in December 1853 before construction was finished and was succeeded first by Jules Frédéric Bouchet.
What is Napoleon's tomb's sarcophagus made of?
The sarcophagus at Napoleon's tomb is made of purple Shoksha quartzite mined in Russian Karelia, not the red porphyry it is often described as. It rests on a base of green granite from the Vosges, which in turn sits on a black marble slab quarried at Sainte-Luce.
Who else is buried near Napoleon's tomb?
Napoleon's brothers Jérôme Bonaparte and Joseph Bonaparte were given tombs in the same Dome church, completed in 1862 and 1864. The coffin of Napoleon's son, Napoleon II, was brought from Vienna in 1940 and moved underground into the cella in 1969.
What is the Memento Marengo installation at Napoleon's tomb?
Memento Marengo is a 2021 installation by French visual artist Pascal Convert, placed above the sarcophagus at Napoleon's tomb for the second centenary of his death. It is a synthetic copy of the skeleton of Marengo, Napoleon's favorite horse, whose real remains are kept at the National Army Museum in London.