Palais Garnier - Theaters and Workshops - Opéra national de Paris

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Palais Garnier

Designed by architect Charles Garnier in 1875, the Palais Garnier hosts a prestigious auditorium and various public areas (grand foyer, rotonde des abonnés, lounges), as well as a museum-library and different rehearsal studios and workshops.

The Italian-style auditorium, with its ceiling painted in 1964 by Marc Chagall, can welcome 2 101 spectators. With nearly 480,000 visitors each year, it is one of Paris' most visited monuments. It has been listed as a historical monument since 1923.

Visit the Palais Garnier

Discover the treasures and secrets of this 19^th-century theatre architecture’s masterpiece.

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Discover the different areas

THE GRAND STAIRCASE

The grand staircase alone is a showplace, where everyone can see and be seen from the balconies.

THE AUDITORIUM

Charles Garnier selected a red velvet fabric to cover the seats and the walls of the boxes, a material known to highlight a woman’s complexion.

MARC CHAGALL’S CEILING

Marc Chagall’s huge canvas is a tribute to famous musicians, opera or ballet composers.

THE GRAND FOYER

This wide room was imagined as a space to walk around and meet other spectators during the intermissions.

THE AVANT-FOYER

The avant-foyer is a long gallery whose ceiling is covered with golden mosaics. Sculptures represent the different trades that took part in the construction and decoration of the Garnier Opera.

THE SALON DU SOLEIL

The “Sun Lounge” is black and gold. On the ceiling are featured a dragon and a salamander.

THE SALON DE LA LUNE

The “Moon Lounge” is black and silver. On its domed ceiling are painted nocturnal animals (owls and bats).

THE SALON DU GLACIER

Completed after the opening of the Palais Garnier, this lounge evokes the style of the Belle Époque. During intermissions, spectators could enjoy various refreshing drinks and pastries.

THE BASSIN DE LA PYTHIE

Once you have passed the “Rotonde des abonnés”, the bassin de la Pythie will lead you to the grand staircase and sumptuous 30-metre-high nave.

THE ROTONDE DES ABONNÉS

This circular lobby was formerly reserved for members, who would access it through the entrance on the Eastern side of the building, now hosts the Opéra Restaurant.

THE LIBRARY-MUSEUM OF THE OPERA

The collections of the Library-Museum of the Opera have been preserving the memory of the theatre for three centuries. The gallery of the museum permanently showcases paintings, drawings, photographs and models of decorations in volume.

The construction works

14 JANUARY 1858

Attack on the Emperor

While Napoleon III was on his way to the Opéra, then located on the street Le Peletier, Italian anarchists working for Felice Orsini threw bombs into the crowd. The very next day, the Emperor decided to build a new opera house.

1860

An international competition is organised

An international competition was organised for the construction of the Imperial Academy of Music and Dance. 171 architects entered the competition. Among all the candidates, the unknown Charles Garnier who was then 35 won the competition on 30 May 1861.

1862

In the spring, Charles Garnier had the groundwater drained by steam pumps, which ran day and night for five months. On 21 July, the first stone was laid by the Minister of Fine Arts.

1863

The foundations, vaults and cellars were erected. By the end of the year, the building had reached the first floor.

1864-1865

In December 1864, most of the works for the vaults, the vestibules of the main staircase and the walls of the secondary staircases were completed. The monolithic columns were placed on the façade, topped by capitals and friezes. In 1865, the building had reached half its final height.

1866

Charles Garnier built the stage and drew up plans for the machinery and gas lighting. Carpenters, painters and glaziers arrived on site as sculptors began their work on the façade.

1867

The structural work was completed and the scaffolding taken down. In August, the façade was unveiled to the public.

1868-1869

Decorative work began. The Opera was entrusted to the teams of painters and sculptors.

1870

The Siege of Paris forced Charles Garnier to interrupt the construction. The Opera was requisitioned and transformed into a hospital and then military supply shops. When Napoleon III was overthrown, Charles Garnier was asked to remove the Emperor's emblems and numbers from the building.

1871-1873

In 1871, the Opera was occupied by the Fédérés. Some restoration work was carried out in 1872, before the construction could resume. During the night of 28 to 29 October, the Opera on the street Le Peletier was destroyed by fire. Work on the new Opera was accelerated.

1875

On 5 January, the new Paris Opera was inaugurated a year ahead of schedule (though the Emperor's entrance, the gallery and the salon du glacier remained unfinished). Costs amounted to just over thirty-five million gold francs.

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