Chapelle Impériale

Ajaccio


The crypt of the imperial chapel, across the courtyard from the Palais Fesch, holds the tombs of Napoléon's parents and several other relatives. Don't expect to find the man himself, though – he’s buried in Les Invalides in Paris. The chapel is open in summer only; to visit, buy a ticket in the Palais Fesch.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Ajaccio attractions

1. Palais Fesch – Musée des Beaux-Arts

0.03 MILES

Established by Napoléon’s uncle, cardinal Joseph Fesch (1763–1839), Ajaccio’s superb art museum holds the largest French collection of Italian…

2. Maison Bonaparte

0.26 MILES

Unremarkable from the outside, the old-town house where Napoléon was born and spent his first nine years was ransacked by Corsican nationalists in 1793,…

3. Cathédrale Ste-Marie

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Surprisingly small but in a commanding position facing out to sea, Ajaccio’s ochre-coloured cathedral dates from the 16th century. As well as a depiction…

4. Citadel

0.36 MILES

Constructed on the rocky headland during the 16th century, the imposing military fortress that adjoins old Ajaccio still belongs to the army. It has been…

5. Plage de Porticcio

3.95 MILES

Dedicated beach bums generally prefer the sands of Porticcio to Ajaccio's busy city beaches. It’s 15km by road around the bay from Ajaccio, or 6km…

6. Filitosa

13.98 MILES

Corsica's most important prehistoric site, 20km north of Propriano, preserves extraordinary granite menhirs (standing stones) that were originally erected…

7. Église de l’Assomption

16.36 MILES

Facing across the valley towards its Greek counterpart, barely 100m west, Cargèse’s Catholic church dates from earlier in the 19th century. Its matching…

8. Église St-Spyridon

16.39 MILES

Cargèse’s Greek community had been established in the village for 150 years by the time they erected this Greek Orthodox church, between 1868 and 1874…