Soon after the main Hôpital des Invalides had been completed, Louis XIV decided that the veterans also required a chapel to pray in. The soldiers’ chapel opened in 1677 - only one year after the completion of the main Hôpital des Invalides. The chapel was officially finished later, in 1679. The chapel is known as “Église Saint-Louis des Invalides”. After it had been completed, daily attendance was required for all the veterans staying at Les Invalides.
Église Saint-Louis is truly one of a kind. When entering this church, visitors say it is unlike any other church in Paris. In contrast to many of the Gothic churches in Paris, the Saint-Louis church is very light and much of the interior consists of white shining marble.