The National Order of the Legion of Honour (French: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur [ɔʁdʁ nɑsjɔnal d(ə) la leʒjɔ̃ dɔnœʁ] ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (Ordre impérial de la Légion d'honneur), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Consisting of five classes, it was originally established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte and it has been retained (with occasional slight alterations) by all subsequent French governments and regimes.
The order's motto is Honneur et Patrie ("Honour and Fatherland"); its seat is the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur next to the Musée d'Orsay, on the left bank of the Seine in Paris. Since 1 February 2023, the Order's grand chancellor has been retired general François Lecointre, who succeeded fellow retired general Benoît Puga in office.
