And as the wintery weather continues chez nous ;I like to update and bring you back into my eternal Paris. There are no words to describe the city, why bothered , millions have tried and there is always something new. And , there is always something old seldom seen or off the beaten path of Paris. This is the case of the Musée National de la Legion d’Honneur et des ordres de chevalerie, something like the National Museum of the legion of honor and the orders of chivalry. Let me tell you something about it ok.
I have to admit, never thought of coming here until my oldest son got a training job on his restaurant degree at the Maison des Polytechniciens , a very presitigious school nearby , which students often call the X , and even after trips to the Musée d’Orsay right across it, never had ventured here before. Well so much to see even if living here ,there is always more and more, more lots more to see. For info the X webpage : http://www.maisondesx.com/
The National Museum of the Legion of Honour and orders of Chivalry , a national Museum of Art and History dedicated to the orders of chivalry and merit, decorations and medals, both French and foreign. It is located in the Hotel de Salm in the 7éme arrondissement of Paris, right across from the Orsay Museum ,and school,
The museum was created on the initiative of General Dubail, Grand Chancellor of the Legion of Honour, and financed by an open subscription among the legionaries and military medalists, whose success was particularly keen in the United States. It was inaugurated in 1925. The initial nucleus of the collections, composed of the Grand Chancellery Fund, of National Museum deposits, have been added, over time, to numerous donations of collectors , but also donations made by foreign States in order to complete the existing collections , finally prestigious purchases and items.
The museum occupies a modern wing built between 1922 and 1925 on the site of the former stables of the Hotel de Salm, overlooking the forecourt of the Musée d’Orsay. The museum presents its permanent collections on several levels, in thematic areas dedicated to: the history of the palace and the creation of the museum, the chivalrous and religious orders, the French royal orders, the Legion of Honor, Imperial orders and memories of the first Empire, foreign orders, and the French orders, decorations and medals of 1789 to the present day.
It is to this day, the only museum dedicated to the Phaleristics ( an auxiliary science of history which studies orders, fraternities, and award items such as medals and other decorations). The museum regularly organizes large-scale exhibitions, as well as exhibits of interest in orders, decorations and medals. The Phaleristics on the Legion of Honor of France: https://www.legiondhonneur.fr/fr/page/le-monde/245#continent1
Some webpages to help you plan and understand your visit here are:
The official legion of honor museum: https://www.legiondhonneur.fr/en/node/249
The Paris tourist office on the museum :https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/71101/Musee-de-la-Legion-d-honneur-et-des-ordres-de-Chevalerie
The Society of Friends of the National Museum of the Legion of Honor and orders of Chivalry was founded in 1970 : https://www.amis-musee-legiondhonneur.fr/
The Association of Ancient Hereditary Honors (AHH), is a non profit association created in 1967 that brings together in a friendly circle families of which at least three consecutive generations were received in the Order of the Legion of Honor. http://www.honneurshereditaires.net/
And one very much on the museum and all over France, Napoleon’s official family webpage : https://www.napoleon.org/en/magazine/places/national-museum-of-the-legion-dhonneur-and-the-order-of-knights/
There you go folks ,another nice spot to visit while in Paris, and it should be given more recognition indeed, and more it is so close to the Orsay museum , it should be a 1-2 punch with the National Legion of Honor and Chivalry museum. Hope you enjoy it as I !
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 