Musée national de la Légion d'Honneur et des Ordres de Chevalerie
Encyclopedia
Order (decoration)
An order or order of merit is a visible honour, awarded by a government, dynastic house or international organization to an individual, usually in recognition of distinguished service to a nation or to humanity. The distinction between orders and decorations is somewhat vague, except that most...
located in the 7th arrondissement in the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur
Palais de la Légion d'Honneur
The Palais de la Légion d'Honneur is the building on the west bank of the River Seine in Paris that houses the Musée national de la Légion d'Honneur et des Ordres de Chevalerie and is the seat of the Légion d'honneur, the highest order of chivalry of France...
beside the Musée d'Orsay
Musée d'Orsay
The Musée d'Orsay is a museum in Paris, France, on the left bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, an impressive Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture,...
at 2, rue de la Légion-d'Honneur , Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is open daily except Monday; admission is free. The nearest métro and RER stations are Musée d'Orsay
Musée d'Orsay (Paris RER)
Musée d'Orsay is a station in line C of the Paris Region's Réseau express régional rapid transit system, named after the Musée d'Orsay. It is situated in the 7th arrondissement of Paris.-Adjacent stations:...
, Solférino
Solférino (Paris Metro)
Solférino is a station on Line 12 of the Paris Métro in the 7th arrondissement.The station opened on 5 November 1910 as part of the original section of the Nord-Sud Company's line A between Porte de Versailles and Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. On 27 March 1931 line A became line 12 of the Métro...
, and Assemblée Nationale
Assemblée Nationale (Paris Metro)
Assemblée Nationale is a station on Line 12 of the Paris Métro in the 7th arrondissement, named after the nearby French National Assembly.The station opened on 5 November 1910 as part of the original section of the Nord-Sud Company's line A between Porte de Versailles and Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. On...
.
The museum is housed within the Hôtel de Salm, built in 1782 by architect Pierre Rousseau for Frederick III, Prince of Salm-Kyrburg
Frederick III, Prince of Salm-Kyrburg
Frederick III John Otto Francis Christian Philip, prince of Salm-Kyrburg, Hornes and Overijse, Gemen and Count of Solre-le-Château. Frederick was the eldest son of Philip Joseph, Prince of Salm-Kyrburg and Princess Maria Theresa of Hornes. He grew up at the French court...
, burned in 1871 during the Paris Commune
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune was a government that briefly ruled Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871. It existed before the split between anarchists and Marxists had taken place, and it is hailed by both groups as the first assumption of power by the working class during the Industrial Revolution...
, and subsequently restored by subscription of medallists. Since 1804 this building has been the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur, and the seat of France's highest honors: the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
(1802), the Médaille militaire
Médaille militaire
The Médaille militaire is a decoration of the French Republic which was first instituted in 1852.-History:The creator of the médaille was the emperor Napoléon III, who may have taken his inspiration in a medal issued by his father, Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland...
(1852), and the Ordre national du Mérite
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
(1963).
Today's museum was created in 1925. It displays a history of France's honors, medals, decorations, and knightly orders from Louis XI
Louis XI of France
Louis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
to the present, including Napoleonic souvenirs and more than 300 portraits. A special section is dedicated to foreign orders. Its library and archives contain more than 3,000 works.