Paris1972-Versailles2003

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 of Paris,part II !!!  or the National Museum of the legion of honor and the orders of chivalry. Let me tell you something about it , and hope you enjoy the post as I.

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 is open from Wednesday to Sunday, 13h to 18h, free and with no reservation needed. The visit of the museum is orchestrated around five areas that take visitors from the birth of the chivalric orders in the period of the crusades up to the creation of the National Order of Merit by general de Gaulle in 1963, including the royal orders and the Legion of Honor. The foreign orders room, a true cabinet of curiosities, showcases insignia from the entire world. After a brief introduction to the museum’s history and its buildings, the visit is organized around five spaces showcasing insignias, paintings,weapongs, costumes, documents, etc Religious and Military Chivalric Orders: Order of Saint John of Jerusalem (also known as the Order of Malta), Teutonic Order, Order of the Holy Sepulchre…

Royal Orders: Order of Saint Michael, Order of the Holy Spirit, Order of Saint Louis, Institution of Military Merit…Legion of Honour : Weapons of reward and honor, Legion of Honour, Orders of the Iron Crown and of the Reunion, Orders of the Emperor’s brothers…Mario Spada Hall, dedicated to foreign Orders: Over 400 orders and decorations from 122 former or current states, Contemporary Hall: Decorations from the Revolution, the Restoration, the Second Empire (Military Medal and commemorative medals), the two World Wars… The exhibition concludes with honor medals, colonial and ministerial orders, the National Order of Merit, and the National Medal of Recognition for Victims of Terrorism.

This is a great shot and glad to have it and show it here, In the picture ,see the large ceremonial mantle of the Order of the Holy Spirit and painting by Jan Baptiste van Loo showing the Institution of the Order by King Henry III in 1578.

The Grand Chancery is responsible for three sites: the Palace of the Legion of Honor in Paris, the former Convent des Loges in Saint-Germain-en-Laye and the former Royal Abbey of Saint-Denis. The first of these houses the Legion of Honor’s headquarters and museum, while the latter two are used for its Maison d’education. It is the responsibility of the Grand Chancery to renovate, modernize and bring up to current standards these prestigious buildings, frequented every day by employees, students and visitors.  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 official Legion of Honor museum: https://www.legiondhonneur.fr/en/node/249

The official Legion of Honor museum on the Grand Chancellerie: https://www.legiondhonneur.fr/en/grand-chancery-legion-honor

The Paris tourist office on the museum : https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/musee-de-la-legion-d-honneur-et-des-ordres-de-chevalerie-p912

The Society of Friends of the National Museum of the Legion of Honor and orders of Chivalry: https://www.amis-musee-legiondhonneur.fr/

The Île de France region tourist office on the museum : https://www.visitparisregion.com/en/musee-de-la-legion-d-honneur-et-des-ordres-de-chevalerie

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 (see posts) , it should be a 1-2 punch with the museum .  Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Musée National de la Legion d’Honneur et des ordres de chevalerie of Paris,part II !!! as I !

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!