Napoleon's tomb
In early 1840, the French government led by Adolphe Thiers made a bold political decision to return Napoleon's remains from Saint Helena. A twelve-member committee formed to decide on the location and outline of the new funerary monument. This group included writers like Théophile Gautier and artists such as Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. The committee was chaired by politician Charles de Rémusat. They faced the logistical challenge of moving bones across an ocean while navigating complex diplomatic relations with Britain. King Louis Philippe I initiated the project to honor his predecessor and unify a fractured nation. The process began in April when an official competition opened for architects to design the final resting place. Eighty-one architects submitted projects that were exhibited in the recently completed Palais des Beaux-Arts.
Louis Visconti emerged as the selected architect after a protracted selection process that concluded in 1842. He finalized his design around mid-1843, creating a circular hollow beneath the soaring dome of Les Invalides. The crypt would be accessed through a door flanked by two atlantes sculpted by Francisque Joseph Duret. An inscription above the entrance recalled Napoleon's own wish to be buried in Paris. The gallery surrounding the space featured twelve pillars adorned with victories. James Pradier worked on these sculptures until his death in June 1852. Pierre-Charles Simart created ten large relief panels celebrating Napoleon's achievements along the gallery walls. François Jouffroy added two additional panels to commemorate the return of the ashes.
The massive sarcophagus at the center of the monument is actually made of purple Shoksha quartzite mined in Russian Karelia. This stone was quarried in 1848 by Italian engineer Giovanni Bujatti under special permission from Tsar Nicholas I. It traveled via Kronstadt and Le Havre before arriving in Paris on the 10th of January 1849. The stone cost around 200,000 francs paid entirely by France. A base of green granite from the Vosges supports the quartzite block. That granite rests upon a slab of black marble measuring 5.5 meters long, 1.2 meters wide, and 0.65 meters thick. This marble came from Sainte-Luce and required great difficulty to transport to Paris. The project utilized stone from no fewer than ten different quarries across Europe including Carrara marble from Italy.
The monument took years to complete due to exceptional requirements for the specific stones used throughout the structure. The final stages were delayed by the sudden death of Louis Visconti in December 1853. Napoleon III had considered moving his uncle's resting place to the Basilica of Saint-Denis but eventually renounced that plan after commissioning new plans from Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. Jules Frédéric Bouchet succeeded Visconti as the lead architect following his death. Bouchet himself died in 1860 leaving the project without its primary visionary. James Pradier also passed away in June 1852 before completing his sculptural work on the gallery pillars. Pierre-Charles Simart continued working on the relief panels despite these losses within the artistic committee.
On the 2nd of April 1861, Napoleon's remains were finally transferred into the sarcophagus from the nearby chapel of Saint-Jérôme. They had lain there since 1840 while construction progressed around them. The ceremony was somewhat subdued with only a limited group of dignitaries present. Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie attended along with Louis-Napoléon Prince Imperial. Government ministers and senior officials of the crown filled out the small crowd. The event marked the completion of a project that had taken two decades to finish. All three original promoters including King Louis Philippe I, architect Louis Visconti, and main sculptors James Pradier and Pierre-Charles Simart had died before this day arrived.
The tombs of Napoleon's brothers were completed shortly after the main inauguration in the Dome church. Jérôme Bonaparte received his tomb in 1862 while Joseph Bonaparte got one in 1864. On the 15th of December 1940, the coffin of Napoleon II traveled from Vienna to be placed next to his father. This decision came from Adolf Hitler following advice from his ambassador to France Otto Abetz. The initiative intended to boost support for collaboration in the French public but instead precipitated a political crisis. It led to the abrupt dismissal of Pierre Laval by Philippe Pétain two days before the ceremony. On the 18th of December 1969, the coffin was transferred underground in the cella and covered by a marble slab. In 2021 an installation titled Memento Marengo appeared above the sarcophagus as a temporary tribute.
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Common questions
Who decided to return Napoleon's remains from Saint Helena in 1840?
The French government led by Adolphe Thiers made the decision to return Napoleon's remains from Saint Helena. A twelve-member committee formed to decide on the location and outline of the new funerary monument.
When was Napoleon's sarcophagus finally placed inside the tomb at Les Invalides?
Napoleon's remains were transferred into the sarcophagus on the 2nd of April 1861. They had lain in a nearby chapel since 1840 while construction progressed around them.
What stone is used for the massive sarcophagus at Napoleon's tomb in Paris?
The massive sarcophagus is made of purple Shoksha quartzite mined in Russian Karelia. This stone arrived in Paris on the 10th of January 1849 after being quarried in 1848 by Italian engineer Giovanni Bujatti.
Which architect designed the final resting place for Napoleon at Les Invalides?
Louis Visconti emerged as the selected architect after a protracted selection process that concluded in 1842. He finalized his design around mid-1843 creating a circular hollow beneath the dome of Les Invalides.
Who ordered the transfer of Napoleon II's coffin to the tomb in 1940?
Adolf Hitler ordered the transfer of Napoleon II's coffin from Vienna to be placed next to his father on the 15th of December 1940. The decision came following advice from his ambassador to France Otto Abetz.