The National Order of the Legion of Honour (French: Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur ), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil, and currently comprises five classes. Established in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte, it has been retained (with occasional slight alterations) by all later French governments and regimes.

The order’s motto is Honneur et Patrie (“Honour and Fatherland”); its seat is the Palais de la Legion d’Honneur next to the Musse d’Orsay, on the left bank of the Seine in Paris. 

The order is divided into five degrees of increasing distinction: Chevalier (Knight), Officier (Officer), Commandeur (Commander), Grand officier (Grand Officer) and Grand-croix (Grand Cross).