General Information
The Palais Garnier is an elegant opera house, built from 1861 to 1875 for the Paris Opera. It is often referred to as the most famous opera house in the world, a symbol of Paris. The Palais was used as the setting for Gaston Leroux’s 1911 novel ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ and the novel’s subsequent adaptations in films and in a musical.
Architecture: Highlights
The Palais Garnier was designed as part of the great reconstruction of Paris during the Second Empire initiated by Emperor Napoleon III. Its style is monumental and considered typically Beaux-Arts, with the use of axial symmetry in plan, and its lavish exterior ornamentation.
Architecture: Explained
It is decorated with very elaborate multicoloured marble friezes, columns, and lavish statuary, many of which portray deities of Greek mythology. Gilded galvanoplastic bronze busts of many of the great composers are located between the columns of the theatre’s front façade. Among them are Rossini’s, Beethoven’s and Mozart’s. On the left and right lateral returns of the front façade, there are busts of the librettists Eugène Scribe and Philippe Quinault. The sculptural group Apollo, Poetry, and Music, located at the apex of the south gable of the stage fly tower. There’s also Harmony and Poetry – two gilded figural groups which respectively crown the apexes of the principal façade’s left and right avant-corps.
The interior of the Opéra Garnier is also pretty impressive. It consists of interweaving corridors, stairwells, alcoves and landings allowing the movement of large numbers of people and space for socialising during intermission. Rich with velvet, gold leaf, and cherubim and nymphs, the interior is characteristic of Baroque sumptuousness. The ceiling area, which surrounds the chandelier, contains a controversial painting by Marc Chagall which was installed on a removable frame over the original and depicts scenes from operas by 14 famous composers, including Wagner, Debussy, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. In the auditorium you will find the famous 7-tonne, bronze and crystal chandelier designed by Garnier.
Bibliothèque-Musée de l’Opéra de Paris: Highlights
The Palais Garnier also houses the Paris Opera Library-Museum collecting the opera and symphonic scores, 80,000 books and prints, scenario plays of ballets and librettos, theatrical costumes, memorabilia of the great masters, and works of art relating to the Opera. Currently the Museum is a part of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
The Legend of the Phantom of the Opera: Highlights
A legend arose that the opera house was built over a subterranean lake, inspiring Gaston Leroux to incorporate the idea into his famous novel. Another inspiration for him was the accident that took place at the Opera in 1896. The falling of one of the counterweights for the copper reflector above the grand chandelier killed a member of the audience.
History: Highlights
In 1858 the Emperor Napoleon III authorised Baron Haussmann to clear the required land on which to build a second theatre for the world-famous Parisian Opera and Ballet companies. A mixture of the latest technology, eclecticism and great opulence, Garnier’s opera encapsulated the divergent tendencies and political and social ambitions of its era.
History: Explained
The project for an opera house was put out to competition, which was won by Charles Garnier, an unknown 35-year-old architect. Construction work, which lasted fifteen years, from 1860 to 1875, was interrupted by numerous incidents, including the 1870 war, the fall of the Empire and the Commune. The Palais Garnier was inaugurated on 5 January 1875. In 1969, the theatre was given new electrical facilities and, during 1994, restoration work began. This consisted of modernising the stage machinery and electrical facilities, while restoring and preserving the opulent décor, as well as strengthening the structure and foundation of the building. This restoration was completed in 2007.