You may have already walked past the Hôtel des Invalides… but do you know the secret message hidden in its stones for more than 300 years?
The Hôtel des Invalides was built during the reign of Louis XIV to house the wounded soldiers of the kingdom. The construction was supervised by his powerful Minister of War, François-Michel Le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois.
Proud of this monumental building, Louvois reportedly wanted to leave his signature by having his coat of arms engraved there — three starry lizards. But the Sun King refused and ordered them to be removed.
According to the story, Louvois then decided to leave his mark in a much more discreet way.
In the Cour d’Honneur, there are sixty sculpted dormer windows. But one of them is different. On it, you can see a wolf placing its paws on an œil-de-bœuf window, as if it were watching through the grass.
It’s a stone rebus: a wolf that sees… Louvois.
If you visit the Invalides, look closely at the Cour d’Honneur and count the fifth dormer from the eastern pediment. You might just discover this small hidden message left by an offended minister more than three centuries ago.
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