The Palais Garnier (, Garnier Palace), also known as Opéra Garnier (, Garnier Opera), is a 1,979-seatBeauvert 1996, p. 102.

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically fo ...

at the

Place de l'Opéra The Place de l'Opéra is a square in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, at the junction of the Boulevard des Italiens, Boulevard des Capucines, Avenue de l'Opéra, , , Rue de la Paix and . It was built at the same time as the Opéra Garnier (desig ...

in the

9th arrondissement of Paris The 9th arrondissement of Paris (''IXe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as the neuvième (; "ninth"). The arrondissement, called Opéra, is loc ...

, France. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the behest of Emperor

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

. Initially referred to as ''le nouvel Opéra de Paris'' (the new Paris Opera), it soon became known as the Palais Garnier, "in acknowledgment of its extraordinary opulence" and the architect Charles Garnier's plans and designs, which are representative of the

Napoleon III style Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts, which uses elements of many different historical styles, and also made innovative use of modern materials, such as i ...

. It was the primary theatre of the Paris Opera and its associated

Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...

until 1989, when a new opera house, the

Opéra Bastille The Opéra Bastille (, "Bastille Opera House") is a modern opera house in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France. Inaugurated in 1989 as part of President François Mitterrand's '' Grands Travaux'', it became the main facility of the Paris Nat ...

, opened at the

Place de la Bastille The Place de la Bastille is a square in Paris where the Bastille prison once stood, until the storming of the Bastille and its subsequent physical destruction between 14 July 1789 and 14 July 1790 during the French Revolution. No vestige of the ...

. The company now uses the Palais Garnier mainly for

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

. The theatre has been a '' monument historique'' of France since 1923. The Palais Garnier has been called "probably the most famous opera house in the world, a symbol of Paris like

Notre Dame Cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...

, the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, or the Sacré Coeur Basilica".Hanser 2006, pp. 172–179. This is at least partly due to its use as the setting for

Gaston Leroux Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (6 May 186815 April 1927) was a French journalist and author of detective fiction. In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel '' The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, ...

's 1910 novel ''

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...

'' and, especially, the novel's subsequent adaptations in films and the popular 1986 musical. Another contributing factor is that among the buildings constructed in Paris during the

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

, besides being the most expensive,Simeone 2000, p. 177. it has been described as the only one that is "unquestionably a masterpiece of the first rank".Watkin 1996, pp. 391–392. This opinion is far from unanimous however: the 20th-century French architect Le Corbusier once described it as "a lying art" and contended that the "Garnier movement is a décor of the grave". The Palais Garnier also houses the Bibliothèque-Musée de l'Opéra de Paris (Paris Opera Library-Museum), which is managed by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and is included in unaccompanied tours of the Palais Garnier.

Dimensions and technical details

The Palais Garnier is from ground level to the apex of the stage flytower; to the top of the facade. The building is long; wide at the lateral galleries; wide at the east and west pavilions; from ground level to bottom of the cistern under the stage. The structural system is made of masonry walls; concealed iron floors, vaults, and roofs.

Architecture and style

The opera was constructed in what Charles Garnier (1825–1898) is said to have told the Empress Eugenie was "Napoleon III" style The

was highly eclectic, and borrowed from many historical sources; the opera house included elements from the Baroque, the classicism of Palladio, and

Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

blended together. These were combined with axial symmetry and modern techniques and materials, including the use of an iron framework, which had been pioneered in other Napoleon III buildings, including the

Bibliothèque Nationale A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

and the markets of Les Halles.Texier, Simon, ''Paris- Panorama de l'archirecture'' (2012) page 95 File:Palais Garnier plan at ground floor - Mead 1991 p101.jpg, Plan of the ground floor File:Palais Garnier plan d'ensemble - Nuitter 1875 p196 - Google Books.jpg, Plan of the main floor File:Palais Garnier plan at the highest floor level - Steinhauser 1969 plate5.jpg, Plan at the auditorium ceiling level File:Palais Garnier plan of the roof - Mead 1991 p104.jpg, Plan of the roof The façade and the interior followed the Napoleon III style principle of leaving no space without decoration. Garnier used polychromy, or a variety of colors, for theatrical effect, achieved different varieties of marble and stone, porphyry, and gilded bronze. The façade of the Opera used seventeen different kinds of material, arranged in very elaborate multicolored marble friezes, columns, and lavish statuary, many of which portray deities of

Greek mythology A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the origin and nature of the world, the lives and activities ...

Exterior

Main façade

The principal façade is on the south side of the building, overlooking the

and terminates the perspective along the

Avenue de l'Opéra The Avenue de l'Opéra was created from 1864 to 1879 as part of Haussmann's renovation of Paris. It is situated in the center of the city, running northwest from the Louvre to the Palais Garnier, the primary opera house of Paris (until the openin ...

. Fourteen painters, mosaicists and seventy-three sculptors participated in the creation of its ornamentation. Opéra Garnier facade with sculpture labels

Opéra Garnier facade with sculpture labels

The two gilded figural groups,

Charles Gumery Charles-Alphonse-Achille Guméry (14 June 1827 – 19 January 1871) was a French sculptor working in an academic realist manner in Paris. Several of his figures ornament the Opéra Garnier most notoriously the group ''La Danse'', which was com ...

's ''L'Harmonie'' (Harmony) and ''La Poésie'' (Poetry), crown the apexes of the principal façade's left and right

avant-corps An ''avant-corps'' ( it, avancorpo or , plural , german: Risalit, pl, ryzalit), a French term literally meaning "fore-body", is a part of a building, such as a porch or pavilion, that juts out from the ''corps de logis'', often taller than othe ...

. They are both made of gilt copper electrotype. The bases of the two avant-corps are decorated (from left to right) with four major multi-figure groups sculpted by François Jouffroy (''Poetry'', also known as ''Harmony''),

Jean-Baptiste Claude Eugène Guillaume Jean-Baptiste Claude Eugène Guillaume (4 July 1822, Montbard – 1 March 1905, Rome) was a French sculptor. Biography He was born at Montbard on the Côte-d'Or. He studied under Cavelier, Millet, and Barrias, at the École des Beaux-Arts, ...

(''Instrumental Music''),

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (11 May 1827 – 12 October 1875) was a French sculptor and painter during the Second Empire under Napoleon III. Life Born in Valenciennes, Nord, son of a mason, his early studies were under François Rude. Carpeaux en ...

('' The Dance'', criticised for indecency), and Jean-Joseph Perraud (''Lyrical Drama''). The façade also incorporates other work by Gumery,

Alexandre Falguière Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguière (also given as Jean-Joseph-Alexandre Falguière, or in short Alexandre Falguière) (7 September 183120 April 1900) was a French sculptor and painter. Biography Falguière was born in Toulouse. A pupil of the � ...

, and others. Gilded

galvanoplastic Electrotyping (also galvanoplasty) is a chemical method for forming metal parts that exactly reproduce a model. The method was invented by Moritz von Jacobi in Russia in 1838, and was immediately adopted for applications in printing and several o ...

bronze busts of many of the great composers are located between the columns of the theatre's front façade and depict, from left to right, Rossini, Auber,

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

, Mozart,

Spontini Gaspare Luigi Pacifico Spontini (14 November 177424 January 1851) was an Italian opera composer and conductor from the classical era. Biography Born in Maiolati, Papal State (now Maiolati Spontini, Province of Ancona), he spent most of his ...

Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (born Jakob Liebmann Beer; 5 September 1791 – 2 May 1864) was a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, linking Mozart and Wagner". With his 1831 opera ''Robert le d ...

, and Halévy. On the left and right lateral returns of the front façade are busts of the librettists

Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of ma ...

and

Philippe Quinault Philippe Quinault (; 3 June 1635 – 26 November 1688), French dramatist and librettist, was born in Paris. Biography Quinault was educated by the liberality of François Tristan l'Hermite, the author of ''Marianne''. Quinault's first play w ...

, respectively.Fontaine 2000 Image:Palais Garnier Statue.JPG, Gumery's ''L'Harmonie'' (1869), atop the left

of the façade, is 7.5 metres (25 ft) of gilt copper electrotype Image:PhotoB 062.jpg, ''Apollo, Poetry and Music'' roof sculpture by Aimé Millet Image:Apollon opera Garnier.jpg, ''Apollo, Poetry and Music; Apollo's lyre'' detail Image:Right roof sculptures Paris Opera.jpg, ''Poetry'' roof sculpture by

Image:Harmony-Poetry-Music-statue-Garnier.jpg, ''Harmony'' façade sculpture by Francois Jouffroy (depicts Harmony-Poetry-Music) Image:Lyrical drama Perraud.jpg, ''Lyrical Drama'' façade sculpture by Jean-Joseph Perraud Image:Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux La Danse.jpg, '' The Dance'' by

Image:PhotoB 064.jpg, Bronze busts of Beethoven and Mozart on the front façade Image:Exterior-light-garnier.jpg, Light outside the building

Stage flytower

The sculptural group ''Apollo, Poetry, and Music'', located at the apex of the south gable of the stage flytower, is the work of Aimé Millet, and the two smaller bronze Pegasus figures at either end of the south gable are by Eugène-Louis Lequesne.

Pavillon de l'Empereur

Also known as the Rotonde de l'Empereur, this group of rooms is located on the left (west) side of the building and was designed to allow secure and direct access by the Emperor via a double ramp to the building. When the Empire fell, work stopped, leaving unfinished dressed stonework. It now houses the Bibliothèque-Musée de l'Opéra de Paris (Paris Opera Library-Museum) which is home to nearly 600,000 documents including 100,000 books, 1,680 periodicals, 10,000 programs, letters, 100,000 photographs, sketches of costumes and sets, posters and historical administrative records.

Pavillon des Abonnés

Located on the right (east) side of the building as a counterpart to the Pavillon de l'Empereur, this pavilion was designed to allow subscribers (''abonnés'') direct access from their carriages to the interior of the building. It is covered by a 13.5-metre (44-ft) diameter dome. Paired obelisks mark the entrances to the rotunda on the north and the south. File:Palais Garnier (Eastern Elevation), 2014-07-05.jpg, East façade and the Pavillon des Abonnés File:Façade Ouest de l'Opéra Garnier (2014).jpg, West façade and the Pavillon de l'Empereur

Interior

The interior 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.

Grand staircase

The building features a large ceremonial staircase of white marble with a balustrade of red and green marble, which divides into two divergent flights of stairs that lead to the Grand Foyer. Its design was inspired by

Victor Louis Victor Louis (10 May 1731, Paris – 2 July 1800, Paris) was a French architect, disqualified on a technicality from winning the Prix de Rome in architecture in 1755. Life He was born Louis-Nicolas Louis in Paris. He did not adopt the name Vic ...

's grand staircase for the Théâtre de Bordeaux. The pedestals of the staircase are decorated with female torchères, created by

Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse (born Albert-Ernest Carrier de Belleuse; 12 June 1824 – 4 June 1887) was a French sculptor. He was one of the founding members of the Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, and was made an officer of the Legion of H ...

. The ceiling above the staircase was painted by

Isidore Pils Isidore-Alexandre-Augustin Pils (1815–1875) was a French academic painter of religious and military subjects. Biography Pils was born in Paris as the son of a soldier François Pils. At the age of twelve, he studied with Guillaume Guillon-Le ...

to depict ''The Triumph of Apollo'', ''The Enchantment of Music Deploying its Charms'', ''Minerva Fighting Brutality Watched by the Gods of Olympus'', and ''The City of Paris Receiving the Plan of the New Opéra''. When the paintings were first fixed in place two months before the opening of the building, it was obvious to Garnier that they were too dark for the space. With the help of two of his students, Pils had to rework the canvases while they were in place overhead on the ceiling and, at the age of 61, he fell ill. His students had to finish the work, which was completed the day before the opening and the scaffolding was removed. File:GarnierOperaParis.jpg,

Louis Béroud Louis Béroud (17 January 1852, Lyon – 9 October 1930, Paris) was a French painter of the late 19th, early 20th century. Some of his paintings are visible at the Musée Carnavalet and The Louvre in Paris. On 22 August 1911 Béroud came to The ...

: ''L'escalier de l'opéra Garnier'', 1877 (

Musée Carnavalet The Musée Carnavalet in Paris is dedicated to the history of the city. The museum occupies two neighboring mansions: the Hôtel Carnavalet and the former Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau. On the advice of Baron Haussmann, the civil servant wh ...

) File:Palais Garnier Grand Escalier d'Honneur - Garnier 1880 vol2 plate8.jpg, Engraving from Garnier's ''Nouvel Opéra'', 1880 File:Opera Garnier Grand Escalier.jpg, The grand staircase of the Palais Garnier File:Monumental stairway of the palais Garnier opera in Paris.jpg, The grand staircase File:Amphitheater-Entrance-Palais-Garnier.jpg, The Amphitheater Entrance. The two caryatids by Jules Thomas. Tragedy with her sword (left) and Comedy with her harp (right).

Cave of Pythia

At the foot of the Grand staircase, Garnier wanted to place a white marble statue of

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with J ...

, but there weren't enough funds for this. Then there were talks about moving the La Danse (Carpeaux) from the main facade, but instead Garnier chose the ''Pythia'' by Adèle d'Affry (the artist also known by the pseudonym Marcello). There are two bronze lamps on each side of Pythia, made by Jules Corboz. The intrados of the staircase have plant motifs and musical instruments, masks and shells, the artist imagine it as a Nymphaeum. According to the Greek mythology,

Pythia Pythia (; grc, Πυθία ) was the name of the high priestess of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. She specifically served as its oracle and was known as the Oracle of Delphi. Her title was also historically glossed in English as the Pythoness ...

was the priestess of Apollo, the god of arts, and she delivered the oracles of the god. Marcello wanted her Pythia to look different from Pythias of other artists. She wrote: "will be an Indian Pythia, the one whose tongue

Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

set wagging. A kind of gypsy." "A poor woman of a rather strange and bestial type, illuminated by the spirit." She would be like the fortune tellers of India "with tamed snakes curled around their forehand." File:Opéra Garnier - Bassin de la Pythie 03.JPG File:Paris, France, Opera Garnier (interior 1).jpg File:Opéra Garnier - Bassin de la Pythie 02.JPG File:Pythia.jpg

Avant foyer or "Foyer of Mosaics"

The Avant foyer is twenty meters long with doors leading to an open salon at each end, in the east to the "Sun" and at the west side to the "Moon" salons. At its north it open to the Grand Escalier, while at its south is connected by three monumental doors to the Grand Foyer.

=Chandeliers

= The Avant Foyer is lit by five big chandeliers designed by Charles Garnier in

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

style.

=Greek mosaic inscriptions

= There are two Greek mosaic inscription, written in the 8th century Byzantine style letters ( Greek uncial), which read: "Decorative mosaic was applied for the first time in France to the ornamentation of this vault and the popularisation of this art." (see Greek inscription 1) "The figures painted by Curzon, were executed by Salviati, the ornaments by Facchina. The architecture is by Charles Garnier." (see Greek inscription 2) File:Palais Garnier Avant Foyer Greek inscription 1.jpg, Greek inscription 1 File:Palais Garnier Avant Foyer Greek inscription 2.jpg, Greek inscription 2

=The four pair mosaic panels

= The mosaic represent four couples from the

(

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, wikt:Ἑρμῆς, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travelle ...

and

Psyche Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" (ψυχή). Psyche may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unconscious by Car ...

Artemis In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...

and

Endymion Endymion primarily refers to: * Endymion (mythology), an Ancient Greek shepherd * ''Endymion'' (poem), by John Keats Endymion may also refer to: Fictional characters * Prince Endymion, a character in the ''Sailor Moon'' anime franchise * Raul ...

and

Eurydice Eurydice (; Ancient Greek: Εὐρυδίκη 'wide justice') was a character in Greek mythology and the Auloniad wife of Orpheus, who tried to bring her back from the dead with his enchanting music. Etymology Several meanings for the name ...

Eos In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Eos (; Ionic and Homeric Greek ''Ēṓs'', Attic ''Héōs'', "dawn", or ; Aeolic ''Aúōs'', Doric ''Āṓs'') is the goddess and personification of the dawn, who rose each morning from her home at ...

and

Cephalus Cephalus (; Ancient Greek: Κέφαλος ''Kephalos'' means "head") is a name used both for the hero-figure in Greek mythology and carried as a theophoric name by historical persons. ''Mythological'' * Cephalus, son of Hermes and Herse. * Ceph ...

). In two of the panels the scenes are more erotic (Artemis - Endymion, Eos - Cephalus), while the other two depict the couples leaving the

underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underwor ...

and are more about death than love (Hermes - Psyche, Orpheus - Eurydice). The theme of death and love alternate. File:Hermes-Psyche-Palais-Garnier.jpg,

and

. Their names are in Greek, ΨΥΧΗ (Psyche) and ΕΡΜΗΣ (Hermes). Above Psyche's head there is a butterfly. File:Artemis-Endymion-Palais-Garnier.jpg,

and

. Their names are in Greek, ΑΡΤΕΜΙΣ (Artemis) and ΕΝΔΥΜΙΩΝ (Endymion). File:Orpheus-Eurydice-Palais-Garnier.jpg,

and

. Their names are in Greek, ΟΡΦΕΥΣ (Orheus) and ΕΥΡΥΔΙΚΗ (Eurydice). File:Eos-Cephalus-Palais-Garnier.jpg,

and

. Their names are in Greek, ΗΩΣ (Eos) and ΚΕΦΑΛΟΣ (Cephalus). The decoration framing the mosaic panels with the mythological couples include theatre masks, musical instruments, birds, all surrounded by flowers, fruits and gold. File:Mosaic mask 1 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier.jpg File:Mosaic mask 2 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier.jpg File:Mosaic mask 3 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier.jpg File:Mosaic mask 4 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier.jpg File:Mosaic mask 5 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier.jpg File:Mosaic mask 6 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier.jpg File:Mosaic mask 7 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier.jpg File:Mosaic mask 8 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier.jpg File:Mosaic mask 9 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier.jpg File:Mosaic mask 10 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier.jpg File:Mosaic mask 11 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier.jpg File:Mosaic mask 12 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier 2.jpg File:Mosaic mask 13 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier.jpg File:Mosaic mask 14 from the Avant Foyer at the Palais Garnier.jpg

=The four medallions

= There are four bronze gilt medallions representing musical instruments ( sistrum for Egypt, lyre for Greece,

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

and

pan flute A pan flute (also known as panpipes or syrinx) is a musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting of multiple pipes of gradually increasing length (and occasionally girth). Multiple varieties of pan flutes have been ...

for Italy, ivory

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

for France), encircled by leaf-work characteristic of each country and have the name of the countries in Greek (Egypt=ΑΙΓΥΠΤΟΣ, Greece=ΕΛΛΑΣ, Italy=ΙΤΑΛΙΑ and France=ΓΑΛΛΙΑ). File:Egypt-Palais-Garnier.jpg, Egypt medallion File:Greece-Palais-Garnier.jpg, Greece medallion File:Italy-Palais-Garnier.jpg, Italy medallion File:France-Palais-Garnier.jpg, France medallion

The Salons of the Sun and Moon

At the east and west end of the Avant foyer there are the ''Salon du Soleil'' (Salon of the Sun) and the ''Salon de la Lune'' (Salon of the Moon). They were designed as the entrance vestibules for the smoking room and the Galerie du Glacier. Their themes were heat for the smoking room and cold for the Glacier, but because they completed in haste in order to be ready for the inauguration of 1875, in the rush there was a mistake and the themes were reversed.

Grand foyer

This hall, high, long and wide, was designed to act as a drawing room for Paris society. It was restored in 2004. Its ceiling was painted by Paul-Jacques-Aimé Baudry and represents various moments in the history of music. The foyer opens onto an outside loggia and is flanked by two octagonal salons with ceilings painted by Jules-Élie Delaunay in the eastern salon and Félix-Joseph Barrias in the western salon. The octagonal salons open to the north into the Salon de la Lune at the western end of the Avant-Foyer and the Salon du Soleil at its eastern end.Fontaine 2004, p. 152. File:Opéra Garnier - le Grand Foyer.jpg, View of the Grand Foyer looking west File:Ceilings of the palais Garnier in Paris, 04.jpg, View of the Grand Foyer looking east File:Opera Garnier-DSC 2523w.jpg, Part of the ceiling of the Grand Foyer with paintings by

Paul Baudry Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

: the central rectangular panel is ''Music'', while the oval panel at the western end is ''Comedy''.Fontaine 2004, p. 152. File:Ceilings of the palais Garnier in Paris, 03.jpg, Ceiling of the octagonal salon at the eastern end with Jules-Élie Delaunay's central oval panel, ''The Zodiac'', and over-door panel, ''Apollo Receiving the Lyre''

=Muses and personifications

= There are eight canvases representing the Muses from the Greek mythology. In mythology, the Muses were nine, but because of lack of room, Polyhymnia was "sacrificed".

Victorin de Joncières Félix-Ludger Rossignol, known as Victorin de Joncières (12 April 1839 – 26 October 1903), was a French composer and music critic.Wright LA. "Victorin de Joncières". In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London & New York, 19 ...

protested against this and wrote that it would be better if

Urania Urania ( ; grc, , Ouranía; modern Greek shortened name ''Ránia''; meaning "heavenly" or "of heaven") was, in Greek mythology, the muse of astronomy, and in later times, of Christian poetry. Urania is the goddess of astronomy and stars, he ...

was "sacrificed", since she was the Muse of Astronomy. Nuitter responded that Polyhymnia has a statue in the Grand Foyer among the Qualities (Polyhymnia is also depicted in the big Parnassus panel on the far right corner). Image gallery with the muses and the personifications:

Thalia Thalia, Thalía, Thaleia or Thalian may refer to: People * Thalia (given name), including a list of people with the name * Thalía (born 1971), Mexican singer and actress Mythological and fictional characters * Thalia (Grace), one of the three ...

(top, Muse of comedy), Epithumia (bottom left, meaning desire) and

Pistis In Greek mythology, Pistis (; Ancient Greek: Πίστις) was the personification of good faith, trust and reliability. In Christianity and in the New Testament, ''pistis'' is typically translated as "faith". The word is mentioned together with ...

(bottom right, meaning good faith, trust and reliability), their names are in Greek. Thalia = ΘΑΛΕΙΑ, Epithumia = Η ΕΠΙΘΥΜΙΑ and Pistis = Η ΠΙΣΤΙΣ File:Thalia-Epithymia-Pistis-Palais-Garnier.jpg Melpomene (top, Muse of tragedy),

Sophrosyne Sophrosyne ( el, σωφροσύνη) is an ancient Greek concept of an ideal of excellence of character and soundness of mind, which when combined in one well-balanced individual leads to other qualities, such as temperance, moderation, prudenc ...

(bottom left, meaning excellence of character and soundness of mind) and Elpis (bottom right, meaning hope), their names are in Greek. Melpomene = ΜΕΛΠΟΜΕΝΗ, Elpis = Η ΕΛΠΙΣ and Sophrosyne = Η ΣΩΦΡΟΣΥΝΗ File:Melpomene-Sophrosyne-Elpis-Palais-Garnier.jpg

Terpsichore In Greek mythology, Terpsichore (; grc-gre, Τερψιχόρη, "delight in dancing") is one of the nine Muses and goddess of dance and chorus. She lends her name to the word "terpsichorean" which means "of or relating to dance". Appearance ...

(top, Muse of dance), Autonomia (bottom left, meaning autonomy) and Phantasia (bottom right, meaning imagination), their names are in Greek. Terpsichore = ΤΕΡΨΙΧΟΡΗ, Autonomia = Η ΑΥΤΟΝΟΜΙΑ and Phantasia = H ΦΑΝΤΑΣΙΑ File:Terpsichore-Autonomia-Phantasia-Palais-Garnier.jpg Erato (top, the Muse of lyric poetry), Rhome (bottom left, meaning strength) and Sophia (bottom right, meaning wisdom), their names are in Greek. Erato = ΕΡΑΤΩ, Rhome = Η ΡΩΜΗ and Sophia = Η ΣΟΦΙΑ File:Erato-Rhome-Sophia-Palais-Garnier.jpg

Calliope In Greek mythology, Calliope ( ; grc, Καλλιόπη, Kalliópē, beautiful-voiced) is the Muse who presides over eloquence and epic poetry; so called from the ecstatic harmony of her voice. Hesiod and Ovid called her the "Chief of all Muse ...

(top, Muse of eloquence and epic poetry),

Dianoia Dianoia (Greek: διάνοια, ''ratio'' in Latin) is a term used by Plato for a type of thinking, specifically about mathematical and technical subjects. Dianoia is the human cognitive capacity for, process of, or result of ''discursive'' thinkin ...

(bottom left, meaning thinking) and Euprepia (bottom right, meaning preeminent beauty), their names are in Greek. Calliope = ΚΑΛΛΙΟΠΗ, Dianoia = Η ΔΙΑΝΟΙΑ and Euprepia = Η ΕΥΠΡΕΠΕΙΑ File:Calliope-Dianoia-Euprepia-Palais-Garnier.jpg

(top, Muse of astronomy), Diadochi (bottom left, meaning succession) and

Episteme In philosophy, episteme (; french: épistémè) is a term that refers to a principle system of understanding (i.e., knowledge), such as scientific knowledge or practical knowledge. The term comes from the Ancient Greek verb grc, ἐπῐ́ ...

(bottom right, meaning to know, to understand, to be acquainted with), their names are in Greek. Urania = ΟΥΡΑΝΙΑ, Diadochi = Η ΔΙΑΔΟΧΗ and Episteme = Η ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΗ File:Urania-Episteme-Diadochi-Palais-Garnier.jpg Euterpe (top, Muse of music), Kalossyni (bottom left, meaning kindness, charity) and

Charis In Greek mythology, the Charites ( ), singular ''Charis'', or Graces, were three or more goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, goodwill, and fertility. Hesiod names three – Aglaea ("Shining"), Euphrosyne ("Joy"), and Thalia ...

(bottom right, meaning grace), their names are in Greek. Euterpe = ΕΥΤΕΡΠΗ, Kalossyni = Η ΚΑΛΛΟΣΥΝΗ and Charis = Η ΧΑΡΙΣ File:Euterpe-Kalossyni-Charis-Palais-Garnier.jpg

Clio In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; el, Κλειώ), also spelled Kleio, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre playing. Etymology Clio's name is etymologically derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλεί ...

(top, Muse of history), Boulesis (bottom left, meaning will) and

Phronesis ''Phronesis'' ( grc, φρόνησῐς, phrónēsis), translated into English by terms such as prudence, practical virtue and practical wisdom, or, colloquially, sense (as in "good sense", "horse sense") is an ancient Greek word for a type of w ...

(bottom right, meaning prudence, practical virtue and practical wisdom), their names are in Greek. Clio = ΚΛΕΙΩ, Boulesis = Η ΒΟΥΛΗΣΙΣ and Phronesis = Η ΦΡΟΝΗΣΙΣ File:Clio-Boulesis-Phronesis-Palais-Garnier.jpg

Auditorium

The auditorium has a traditional Italian horseshoe shape and can seat 1,979. The stage is the largest in Europe and can accommodate as many as 450 artists. The canvas house curtain was painted to represent a draped curtain, complete with tassels and braid. File:Palais Garnier auditorium and stage.jpg, Auditorium File:Palais Garnier transverse section at the auditorium and pavilions - Beauvert 1996 p106.jpg, Transverse section at the auditorium and pavilions File:Paris. Palais Garnier. Interior. Postcard from 1909.jpg, Auditorium. Postcard from 1909 The ceiling area which surrounds the chandelier was originally painted by

Jules-Eugène Lenepveu Jules-Eugène Lenepveu Boussaroque de Lafont, known as Jules-Eugène Lenepveu (1819 – 16 October 1898) was a French painter. Biography Born at Angers, he studied at the école des Beaux-Arts, and later was a pupil of François-Édouard Picot ...

. In 1964 a new ceiling painted by Marc Chagall was installed on a removable frame over the original. It depicts scenes from operas by 14 composers –

Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...

, Mozart,

Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

, Berlioz,

Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; – ) was a French composer and music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera and ...

Debussy (Achille) Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influential composers of the ...

Ravel Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composers rejected the term. In ...

, Stravinsky,

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

, Adam,

Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, '' Carmen'', which has become o ...

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...

, and

Gluck Christoph Willibald (Ritter von) Gluck (; 2 July 1714 – 15 November 1787) was a composer of Italian and French opera in the early classical period. Born in the Upper Palatinate and raised in Bohemia, both part of the Holy Roman Empire, he g ...

. Although praised by some, others feel Chagall's work creates "a false note in Garnier's carefully orchestrated interior".

Chandelier

The seven-ton bronze and crystal chandelier was designed by Garnier. Jules Corboz prepared the model, and it was cast and chased by Lacarière, Delatour & Cie. The total cost came to 30,000 gold

francs The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...

. The use of a central chandelier aroused controversy, and it was criticised for obstructing views of the stage by patrons in the fourth level boxes and views of the ceiling painted by Lenepveu.Fontaine 2004, p. 94–95. Garnier had anticipated these disadvantages but provided a lively defence in his 1871 book ''Le Théâtre'': "What else could fill the theatre with such joyous life? What else could offer the variety of forms that we have in the pattern of the flames, in these groups and tiers of points of light, these wild hues of gold flecked with bright spots, and these crystalline highlights?" File:Palais Garnier, Lenepveu ceiling model 1872 – Fontaine 2004 p. 83 (adjusted).jpg, Final model for the ceiling painted by

File:Palais Garnier auditorium chandelier - Nuitter 1875 p147.jpg, Auditorium chandelier File:The-paris-opera-482508 1920.jpg, Lighted chandelier under the ceiling by Marc Chagall On 20 May 1896, one of the chandelier's

counterweight A counterweight is a weight that, by applying an opposite force, provides balance and stability of a mechanical system. The purpose of a counterweight is to make lifting the load faster and more efficient, which saves energy and causes less wea ...

s broke free and burst through the ceiling into the auditorium, killing a concierge. This incident inspired one of the more famous scenes in

's classic 1910 gothic novel ''

''. Originally the chandelier was raised up through the ceiling into the cupola over the auditorium for cleaning, but now it is lowered. The space in the cupola was used in the 1960s for opera rehearsals, and in the 1980s was remodelled into two floors of dance rehearsal space. The lower floor consists of the Salle Nureïev ( Nureyev) and the Salle Balanchine, and the upper floor, the Salle Petipa.

=Organ

= The grand organ was built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll for use during lyrical works. It has been out of service for several decades.

Restaurant

Garnier had originally planned to install a restaurant in the opera house; however, for budgetary reasons, it was not completed in the original design. On the third attempt to introduce it since 1875, a restaurant was opened on the eastern side of the building in 2011. L'Opéra Restaurant was designed by French architect

Odile Decq Odile Decq (born 1955 in Laval, France) is a French architect, urban planner and academic. She is the founder of the Paris firm, Studio Odile Decq and the architecture school, Confluence Institute. Decq is known for her unique, self-described g ...

. The chef was Christophe Aribert; in October 2015, Guillame Tison-Malthé became the new head chef. The restaurant, which has three different spaces and a large outside terrace, is accessible to the general public. Image:Terrasse Est Opéra Garnier - L'Opéra Restaurant.jpg, Palais Garnier east side with L'Opéra Restaurant Image:MezzanineOpera2.jpg, L'Opéra Restaurant opened in 2011

History

Selection of a site

Two projected site sites for the new Paris Opera by Barnout - Gallica 2014

In 1821 the Opéra de Paris had moved into the temporary building known as the

Salle Le Peletier The Salle Le Peletier or Lepeletier (sometimes referred to as the Salle de la rue Le Peletier or the Opéra Le Peletier) was the home of the Paris Opera from 1821 until the building was destroyed by fire in 1873. The theatre was designed and con ...

on the . Since then a new permanent building had been desired.

Charles Rohault de Fleury Charles Rohault de Fleury (or Rohaut de Fleury; 22 September 1801 – 11 August 1875) was a French architect who designed many buildings in Paris, France, in the 19th century. In his later life he wrote a number of books on archaeological and rel ...

, who was appointed the opera's official architect in 1846, undertook various studies in suitable sites and designs. By 1847, the

Prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of the Seine, Claude-Philibert de Rambuteau, had selected a site on the east side of the Place du Palais-Royal as part of an extension of the

Rue de Rivoli Rue de Rivoli (; English: "Rivoli Street") is a street in central Paris, France. It is a commercial street whose shops include leading fashionable brands. It bears the name of Napoleon's early victory against the Austrian army, at the Battle of R ...

. However, with the

Revolution of 1848 The Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Springtime of the Peoples or the Springtime of Nations, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe starting in 1848. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in Europe ...

, Rambuteau was dismissed, and interest in the construction of a new opera house waned. The site was later used for the

Grand Hôtel du Louvre Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and co ...

(designed in part by Charles Rohault de Fleury). With the establishment of the

in 1852 and

Georges-Eugène Haussmann Georges-Eugène Haussmann, commonly known as Baron Haussmann (; 27 March 180911 January 1891), was a French official who served as prefect of Seine (1853–1870), chosen by Emperor Napoleon III to carry out a massive urban renewal programme of n ...

's appointment as Prefect of the Seine in June 1853, interest in a new opera house revived. There was an attempted assassination of Emperor Napoleon III at the entrance to the Salle Le Peletier on 14 January 1858. The Salle Le Peletier's constricted street access highlighted the need for a separate, more secure entrance for the head of state. This concern and the inadequate facilities and temporary nature of the theatre gave added urgency to the building of a new state-funded opera house. By March, Haussmann settled on Rohault de Fleury's proposed site off the Boulevard des Capucines, although this decision was not announced publicly until 1860. A new building would help resolve the awkward convergence of streets at this location, and the site was economical in terms of the cost of land. On 29 September 1860 an Imperial Decree officially designated the site for the new Opéra, which would eventually occupy . By November 1860 Rohault de Fleury had completed the design for what he thought would be the crowning work of his career and was also working on a commission from the city to design the façades of the other buildings lining the new square to ensure they were in harmony. However, that same month

Achille Fould Achille Fould (17 November 18005 October 1867) was a French financier and politician. Early life Achille Fould was born on 17 November 1800 in Paris. His father, Beer Léon Fould, was a Jewish banker. Career Fould began his career as a banker ...

was replaced as Minister of State by Count

Alexandre Colonna-Walewski Alexandre Florian Joseph, Count Colonna-Walewski (; pl, Aleksander Florian Józef Colonna-Walewski; 4 May 181027 September 1868), was a Polish and French politician and diplomat, best known for his position as Foreign Minister of France under N ...

. His wife Marie Anne de Ricci Poniatowska had used her position as mistress of Napoleon III to obtain her husband's appointment. Aware of competing designs and under pressure to give the commission to Viollet-le-Duc, who had the support of

Empress Eugénie An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother (empr ...

, Walewski escaped the need to make a decision by proposing to mount an

architectural design competition An architectural design competition is a type of design competition in which an organization that intends on constructing a new building invites architects to submit design proposals. The winning design is usually chosen by an independent panel ...

to select the architect. File:Entrance elevation of a project for the Théâtre Impériale de l'Opéra by Rohault de Fleury, November 1860 - Mead 1991 p59.jpg, Entrance elevation of a project for the Théâtre Impériale de l'Opéra by Rohault de Fleury, November 1860 File:Plan of a project for the Théâtre Impériale de l'Opéra by Rohault de Fleury, November 1860 - Mead 1991 p59.jpg, Plan

Design competition

On 30 December 1860 the Second Empire of Emperor

officially announced an architectural design competition for the design of the new opera house. Applicants were given a month to submit entries. There were two phases to the competition. Charles Garnier's project was one of about 170 submitted in the first phase. Each of the entrants was required to submit a motto that summarised their design. Garnier's was the quote "Bramo assai, poco spero" ("Hope for much, expect little") from the Italian poet

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' ( Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

. Garnier's project was awarded the fifth-place prize, and he became one of seven finalists selected for the second phase. In addition to Garnier, among the others were his friend Leon Ginain, and

Joseph-Louis Duc Joseph-Louis Duc () (25 October 1802 – 22 January 1879) was a French architect. Duc came to prominence early, with his very well received work at the July Column in Paris, and spent much of the rest of his career on a single building complex, ...

(who subsequently withdrew due to other commitments). To the surprise of many, both Viollet-le-Duc and Charles Rohault de Fleury missed out. File:Perspective view of Viollet-de-Duc's Opera Competition project, 1861 - Mead 1991 p66.jpg, Perspective view File:Plan of Viollet-de-Duc's Opera Competition project, 1861 - Mead 1991 p74.jpg, Plan File:Long section of Viollet-de-Duc's Opera Competition project, 1861 - Mead 1991 p75.jpg, Long section The second phase required the contestants to revise their original projects and was more rigorous, with a 58-page program, written by the director of the Opéra,

Alphonse Royer Alphonse Royer, (10 September 1803 – 11 April 1875) was a French author, dramatist and theatre manager, most remembered today for having written (with his regular collaborator, Gustave Vaëz) the librettos for Gaetano Donizetti's opera ''L ...

, which the contestants received on 18 April. The new submissions were sent to the jury in the middle of May, and on 29 May 1861 Garnier's project was selected for its "rare and superior qualities in the beautiful distribution of the plans, the monumental and characteristic aspect of the facades and sections".Quoted and translated in Mead 1991, pp. 76, 290. Garnier's wife Louise later wrote that the French architect

Alphonse de Gisors Alphonse-Henri Guy de Gisors (3 September 1796 – 18 August 1866) was a 19th-century French architect, a member of the Gisors family of architects and prominent government administrators responsible for the construction and preservation of many ...

, who was on the jury, had commented to them that Garnier's project was "remarkable in its simplicity, clarity, logic, grandeur, and because of the exterior dispositions which distinguish the plan in three distinct parts—the public spaces, auditorium, and stage ... 'you have greatly improved your project since the first competition; whereas Ginain he first-place winner in the first phasehas ruined his.'" Legend has it that the Emperor's wife, the

, who was likely irritated that her own favoured candidate, Viollet-le-Duc, had not been selected, asked the relatively unknown Garnier: "What is this? It's not a style; it's neither Louis Quatorze, nor Louis Quinze, nor Louis Seize!" "Why Ma'am, it's Napoléon Trois" replied Garnier "and you're complaining!" Andrew Ayers has written that Garnier's definition "remains undisputed, so much does the Palais Garnier seem emblematic of its time and of the Second Empire that created it. A giddy mixture of up-to-the-minute technology, rather prescriptive rationalism, exuberant eclecticism and astonishing opulence, Garnier's opera encapsulated the divergent tendencies and political and social ambitions of its era."Ayers 2004, pp. 172–174. Ayers goes on to say that the judges of the competition in particular admired Garnier's design for "the clarity of his plan, which was a brilliant example of the ''beaux-arts'' design methods in which both he and they were thoroughly versed".

Opéra Agence

After the initial funds to begin construction were voted on 2 July 1861, Garnier established the Opéra ''Agence'', his office on the construction site, and hired a team of architects and draftsmen. He selected as his second-in-command, Louis-Victor Louvet, followed by Jean Jourdain and Edmond Le Deschault.

Laying of the foundation

The site was excavated between 27 August and 31 December. On 13 January 1862 the first concrete foundations were poured, starting at the front and progressing sequentially toward the back, with the laying of the substructure masonry beginning as soon as each section of concrete was cast. The opera house needed a much deeper basement in the substage area than other building types, but the level of the groundwater was unexpectedly high. Wells were sunk in February 1862 and eight steam pumps installed in March, but despite operating continuously 24 hours a day, the site would not dry up. To deal with this problem Garnier designed a double foundation to protect the superstructure from moisture. It incorporated a water course and an enormous concrete cistern (''cuve'') which would both relieve the pressure of the external groundwater on the basement walls and serve as a reservoir in case of fire. A contract for its construction was signed on 20 June. Soon a persistent legend arose that the opera house was built over a subterranean lake, inspiring Gaston Leroux to incorporate the idea into his novel ''

''. On 21 July the cornerstone was laid at the southeast angle of the building's facade. In October the pumps were removed, the brick vault of the ''cuve'' was finished by 8 November, and the substructure was essentially complete by the end of the year.

Model

The emperor expressed an interest in seeing a model of the building, and a plaster scale model (2 cm per meter) was constructed by Louis Villeminot between April 1862 and April 1863 at a cost of more than 8,000 francs. After previewing it, the emperor requested several changes to the design of the building, the most important of which was the suppression of a balustraded terrace with corner groups at the top of the facade and its replacement with a massive attic story fronted by a continuous frieze surmounted by imperial ''

quadriga A () is a car or chariot drawn by four horses abreast and favoured for chariot racing in Classical Antiquity and the Roman Empire until the Late Middle Ages. The word derives from the Latin contraction of , from ': four, and ': yoke. The four- ...

e'' over the end bays.Mead 1991, pp. 149–151. With the incorporated changes, the model was transported over specially installed rails to the

Palais de l'Industrie The Palais de l'Industrie (Palace of Industry) was an exhibition hall located in Paris between the Seine River and the Champs-Élysées, which was erected for the Paris World Fair in 1855. This was the last of several buildings with the same nam ...

for public display at the 1863 exhibition.

Théophile Gautier Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rema ...

wrote of the model (''Le Moniteur Universel'', 13 May 1863) that "the general arrangement becomes intelligible to all eyes and already acquires a sort of reality that better permits one to prejudge the final effect ... it attracts the crowd's curiosity; it is, in effect, the new Opéra seen through reversed opera glasses." The model is now lost, but it was photographed by J. B. Donas in 1863. The emperor's quadrigae were never added, although they can be seen in the model. Instead Charles-Alphonse Guméry's gilded bronze sculptural groups ''Harmony'' and ''Poetry'' were installed in 1869. The linear frieze seen in the model was also redesigned with alternating low- and high-relief decorative medallions bearing the gilded letters from the imperial monogram ("N" for Napoléon, "E" for Empereur). The custom-designed letters were not ready in time for the unveiling and were replaced with commercially available substitutes. After the fall of the empire in 1870, Garnier was relieved to be able to remove them from the medallions. Letters in Garnier's original design were finally installed during the restoration of the building in 2000.

Change in name

The scaffolding concealing the facade was removed on 15 August 1867 in time for the

Paris Exposition of 1867 The International Exposition of 1867 (french: Exposition universelle 'art et d'industriede 1867), was the List of world expositions, second world's fair to be held in Paris, from 1 April to 3 November 1867. A number of nations were represente ...

. The official title of the Paris Opera was prominently displayed on the entablature of the giant Corinthian order of coupled columns fronting the main-floor

loggia In architecture, a loggia ( , usually , ) is a covered exterior gallery or corridor, usually on an upper level, but sometimes on the ground level of a building. The outer wall is open to the elements, usually supported by a series of columns ...

: "ACADEMIE IMPERIALE DE MUSIQUE". When the emperor was deposed on 4 September 1870 as a result of the disastrous Franco-Prussian War, the government was replaced by the Third Republic, and almost immediately, on 17 September 1870, the Opera was renamed Théâtre National de l'Opéra, a name it kept until 1939.Levin, Alicia. "A documentary overview of musical theaters in Paris, 1830–1900" in Fauser (2009), p. 382. In spite of this, when it came time to change the name on the new opera house, only the first six letters of the word IMPERIALE were replaced, giving the now famous "ACADEMIE NATIONALE DE MUSIQUE", an official title which had actually only been used during the approximately two-year period of the Second Republic which had preceded the Second Empire.

1870–1871

All work on the building came to a halt during the Franco-Prussian War due to the siege of Paris (September 1870 – January 1871). Construction had so advanced that parts of the building could be used as a food warehouse and a hospital. After France's defeat Garnier became seriously ill from the deprivations of the siege and left Paris from March to June to recover on the

Liguria it, Ligure , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

n coast of Italy, while his assistant Louis Louvet remained behind during the turmoil of the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...

which followed. Louvet wrote several letters to Garnier, which document events relating to the building. Because of the theatre's proximity to the fighting at the

Place Vendôme The Place Vendôme (), earlier known as Place Louis-le-Grand, and also as Place Internationale, is a square in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France, located to the north of the Tuileries Gardens and east of the Église de la Madeleine. It i ...

, troops of the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

bivouacked there and were in charge of its defence and distributing food to soldiers and civilians. The Commune authorities planned to replace Garnier with another architect, but this unnamed man had not yet appeared when Republican troops ousted the National Guard and gained control over the building on 23 May. By the end of the month the Commune had been severely defeated. The Third Republic had become sufficiently well established by the fall, that on 30 September construction work recommenced, and by late October a small amount of funds were voted by the new legislature for further construction.

1872–1873

The political leaders of the new government maintained an intense dislike of all things associated with the Second Empire, and many of them regarded the essentially apolitical Garnier as a holdover from that regime. This was especially true during the presidency of Adolphe Thiers who remained in office until May 1873, but also persisted under his successor

Marshal MacMahon Marie Edme Patrice Maurice de MacMahon, marquis de MacMahon, duc de Magenta (; 13 June 1808 – 17 October 1893) was a French general and politician, with the distinction of Marshal of France. He served as Chief of State of France from 1873 to ...

. Economies were demanded, and Garnier was forced to suppress the completion of sections of the building, in particular the Pavillon de l'Empereur (which later became the home of the Opera Library Museum). However, on 28–29 October an overwhelming incentive to complete the new theatre came when the Salle Le Peletier was destroyed by a fire which raged the entire night. Garnier was immediately instructed to complete the building as soon as possible.

Completion

The cost of completion of the new house during 1874 was more than 7.5 million francs, a sum that greatly exceeded the amounts spent in any of the previous thirteen years. The cash-strapped government of the Third Republic resorted to borrowing 4.9 million gold francs at an interest rate of six percent from

François Blanc François Blanc (; 12 December 1806 – 27 July 1877), nicknamed "The Magician of Homburg" and "The Magician of Monte Carlo", was a French entrepreneur and operator of casinos, including the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco. His daughter, Marie-F� ...

, the wealthy financier who managed the Monte Carlo Casino. Subsequently (from 1876 to 1879) Garnier would oversee the design and construction of the Monte Carlo Casino concert hall, the Salle Garnier, which later became the home of the Opéra de Monte Carlo. During 1874 Garnier and his construction team worked feverishly to complete the new Paris opera house, and by 17 October the orchestra was able to conduct an acoustical test of the new auditorium, followed by another on 2 December which was attended by officials, guests, and members of the press. The Paris Opera Ballet danced on the stage on 12 December, and six days later the famous chandelier was lit for the first time.Simeone 2000, pp. 177–180. The theatre was formally inaugurated on 5 January 1875 with a lavish gala performance attended by Marshal MacMahon, the Lord Mayor of London and King

Alfonso XII Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as El Pacificador or the Peacemaker, was King of Spain from 29 December 1874 to his death in 1885 ...

of Spain. The program included the overtures to Auber's ''

La muette de Portici ''La muette de Portici'' (''The Mute Girl of Portici'', or ''The Dumb Girl of Portici''), also called ''Masaniello'' () in some versions, is an opera in five acts by Daniel Auber, with a libretto by Germain Delavigne, revised by Eugène Scr ...

'' and Rossini's ''

William Tell William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...

'', the first two acts of Halévy's 1835 opera '' La Juive'' (with

Gabrielle Krauss Marie-Gabrielle Krauss (24 March 18426 January 1906) was an important 19th century Austrian-born French operatic soprano. She created major roles in operas by Anton Rubinstein, Charles Gounod, Camille Saint-Saëns, Auguste Mermet, Clémence de ...

in the title role), along with "The Consecration of the Swords" from

's 1836 opera ''

Les Huguenots () is an opera by Giacomo Meyerbeer and is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, it premiered in Paris on 29 February 1836. Composition history ...

'' and the 1866 ballet '' La source'' with music by Delibes and Minkus. As a soprano had fallen ill one act from

Charles Gounod Charles-François Gounod (; ; 17 June 181818 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been ''Faust (opera), Faust'' (1859); his ''Roméo et Juliette'' (18 ...

's ''Faust'' and one from

Ambroise Thomas Charles Louis Ambroise Thomas (; 5 August 1811 – 12 February 1896) was a French composer and teacher, best known for his operas '' Mignon'' (1866) and ''Hamlet'' (1868). Born into a musical family, Thomas was a student at the Conservatoire de ...

's ''Hamlet'' had to be omitted. During the intermission Garnier stepped out onto the landing of the grand staircase to receive the approving applause of the audience.

History of the house since opening

Paris, l'Opéra, Académie nationale de musique

In 1881 electric lighting was installed. In the 1950s new personnel and freight elevators were installed at the rear of stage, to facilitate the movement of employees in the administration building and the moving of stage scenery. In 1969, the theatre was given new electrical facilities and, during 1978, part of the original Foyer de la Danse was converted into new rehearsal space for the Ballet company by the architect Jean-Loup Roubert. During 1994, restoration work began on the theatre. This consisted of modernizing 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.

Stamps

The French Post Office has issued two postage stamps on the building: The first was issued in September 1998, for the centenary of the death of Charles Garnier. It was designed by Claude Andréotto grouping elements which recall the artistic activities of the Opera Garnier: the profile of a dancer, a violin and a red curtain. The second, drawn and engraved by Martin Mörck, is issued in June 2006 and represents, in intaglio, the main facade.

Influence

The Palais Garnier inspired many other buildings over the following years. *

Teatro Massimo Bellini The Teatro Massimo Bellini is an opera house located on Piazza Vincenzo Bellini in Catania, Sicily, southern Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is ...

built from 1870 to 1890 in Catania, Sicily (Italy). *The

Amazon Theatre The Amazon Theatre () is an opera house located in Manaus, in the heart of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. It is the location of the annual '' Festival Amazonas de Ópera'' (Amazonas Opera Festival) and the home of the Amazonas Philharmonic O ...

in Manaus (Brazil) built from 1884 to 1896. The overview is very similar, though the decoration is simpler. *The

Thomas Jefferson Building The Thomas Jefferson Building is the oldest of the four United States Library of Congress buildings. Built between 1890 and 1897, it was originally known as the Library of Congress Building. It is now named for the 3rd U.S. president Thomas Jeffe ...

, built from 1890 to 1897, of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

in Washington, D.C. is modelled after the Palais Garnier, most notably the facade and Great Hall. *The Opéra-Comique's

Salle Favart The Salle Favart, officially the Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique, is a Paris opera house and theatre, the current home of the Opéra-Comique. It was built from 1893 to 1898 in a neo-Baroque style to the designs of the French architect Louis Bernie ...

, which opened in 1898, is an adaptation of Garnier's design on a smaller scale to fit a restricted site. *Several buildings in Poland were based on the design of the Palais Garnier. These include the

Juliusz Słowacki Theatre Juliusz Słowacki Theatre ( pl, Teatr im. Juliusza Słowackiego w Krakowie) is a 19th-century Eclectic theatre-opera house in the heart of Kraków, Poland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Erected in 1893, it was modeled after some of the best ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, built during 1893, and also the

Warsaw Philharmonic The Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra ( pl, Orkiestra Filharmonii Narodowej w Warszawie) is a Polish orchestra based in Warsaw. Founded in 1901, it is one of Poland's oldest musical institutions. History The orchestra was conceived on ...

edifice in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, built between 1900 and 1901. *The

Hanoi Opera House The Hanoi Opera House (french: Opéra de Hanoï), or the Grand Opera House ( vi, Nhà hát lớn Hà Nội, french: Grand Opéra) is an opera house in central Hanoi, Vietnam. It was erected by the French colonial administration between 1901 and 191 ...

in Vietnam was built 1901–1911 during

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

colonial period based upon Palais Garnier. It is considered a representative

French colonial French colonial architecture includes several styles of architecture used by the French during colonization. Many former French colonies, especially those in Southeast Asia, have previously been reluctant to promote their colonial architectur ...

architectural monument in Indochina. *The Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro (1905–1909) was also modelled after Palais Garnier, particularly the Great Hall and stairs. *The Legends Hotel Chennai in India is inspired by the Palais Garnier, especially the Facade and statues. *The Façade of the Rialto Theatre, a former movie palace built in 1923–1924 and located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, was designed after Palais Garnier. File:Catania BW 2012-10-06 11-11-06.jpg, Piazza Vincenzo Bellini and the adjoining

(built from 1870 to 1890 in Catania,

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

) File:Teatro amazonas.jpg, The Amazonas theatre in Manaus, Brazil (1884–1896) File:LibraryOfCongress 07130009.jpg, The

at the

(1890–1897) File:Pl warszawa filharmonia old 1918.jpg, The former

Hall (1900–1901) File:Kiev Opera House - 005.jpg, National Opera House of Ukraine (opened 1901) File:Teatro Municipal de São Paulo 8.jpg,

Municipal Theater of São Paulo A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

(built 1903–1911) File:Hanoi_opera_house._Made_as_a_copy_of_the_Opera_Garnier_in_Paris_(22334215449).jpg,

(1901–1911) File: Rialto_Theatre_Montreal_01.jpg, Rialto Theatre in Montreal (1923–1924)

References

Citations

Sources

* Allison, John, editor (2003). ''Great Opera Houses of the World'', supplement to ''Opera'' Magazine, London. * Ayers, Andrew (2004). ''The Architecture of Paris''. Stuttgart; London: Edition Axel Menges. . * Beauvert, Thierry (1996). ''Opera Houses of the World''. New York: The Vendome Press. . * * Fauser, Annegret, editor; Everist, Mark, editor (2009). ''Music, Theater, and Cultural Transfer. Paris, 1830–1914''. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. . * Folli, Andrea; Merello, Gisella (2004). "The Splendour of the Garnier Rooms at the Monte Carlo Casino", pp. 112–137, in Bonillo, Jean-Lucien, et al., ''Charles Garnier and Gustave Eiffel on the French and Italian Rivieras: The Dream of Reason'' (in English and French). Marseilles: Editions Imbernon. . * Fontaine, Gérard (2000). ''Charles Garnier's Opéra: Architecture and Exterior Decor'', translated by Ellie Rea and Barbara Shapiro-Comte. Paris: Éditions du Patrimoine. . * Fontaine, Gérard (2004). ''Charles Garnier's Opéra: Architecture and Interior Decor'', translated by Charles Penwarden. Paris: Éditions du Patrimoine. . * Garnier, Charles (1871). ''Le Théâtre''. Paris: Hachette
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at

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...

. * Garnier, Charles (1875–81). ''Le nouvel Opéra de Paris'', two volumes text and six atlas folios (two with architectural plates and four with plates of photographs by Louis-Emile Durandelle of sculptures and paintings). Paris: Ducher
List of entries
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WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

. ** Vol. 1, text (1878). 522 pages
View
at

. ** Vol. 1, plates (1880). ''Partie architecturale'', 40 plates. . ** Vol. 2, text (1881). 425 pages
View
at

. ** Vol. 2, plates (1880). ''Partie architecturale'', 60 plates. . ** ol. 3(1875). ''Sculpture ornamentale'', 45 plates. . **

ol. 4 OL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Orphaned Land, an Israeli progressive metal band * Old Lace (comics) a telepathically linked dinosaur hero Businesses and organizations * OLT Express Germany (IATA code: OL), a scheduled and charter airl ...

(1875). ''Statues décoratives'', 35 plates. . View at Wikimedia Commons. ** ol. 5(1875). ''Peintures décoratives'', 20 plates. . **

ol. 6 OL may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Orphaned Land, an Israeli progressive metal band * Old Lace (comics) a telepathically linked dinosaur hero Businesses and organizations * OLT Express Germany (IATA code: OL), a scheduled and charter air ...

(1875). ''Bronzes'', 15 plates. . * Hanser, David A. (2006). ''Architecture of France''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. . * Huebner, Steven (2003). "After 1850 at the Paris Opéra: institution and repertory", pp. 291–317 in '' The Cambridge Companion to Grand Opera'', edited by David Charlton. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . (paperback). * Guest, Ivor Forbes (1974). ''Ballet of the Second Empire''. London: Wesleyan University Press. . * Guest, Ivor Forbes (2006). ''The Paris Opera Ballet''. London: Wesleyan University Press. . * Kirkland, Stephane (2013). ''Paris Reborn: Napoléon III, Baron Haussmann, and the Quest to Build a Modern City''. New York: St Martin's Press. . * Kleiner, Fred S. (2006). ''Gardner's Art Through The Ages''. Belmont, California: Thomsom Wadsworth. . * Mead, Christopher Curtis (1991). ''Charles Garnier's Paris Opéra: Architectural Empathy and the Renaissance of French Classicism''. New York: The Architectural History Foundation. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. . * Mead, Christopher Curtis (1996). "Bernier, Stanislas-Louis", vol. 3, , in ''

The Dictionary of Art ''Grove Art Online'' is the online edition of ''The Dictionary of Art'', often referred to as the ''Grove Dictionary of Art'', and part of Oxford Art Online, an internet gateway to online art reference publications of Oxford University Press, ...

'', edited by Jane Turner. London: Macmillan. . Also a
Oxford Art Online
(subscription required). * Nuitter, Charles (1875). ''Le nouvel Opéra'' (with 59 engravings). Paris: Hachette. Copie
12
an
3
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. * Nuitter, Charles (1878). ''Histoire et description du nouvel Opéra''. Paris: Plon
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at Gallica. (Title page undated; signed by Nuitter and dated 28 November 1878 o
p. 42
Gallica gives the date of publication as 1883.) * Savorra, Massimiliano (2010). "Una lezione da Parigi al mondo. Il teatro di Charles Garnier", in "Architettura dell’Eclettismo. Il teatro dell’Ottocento e del primo Novecento. Architettura, tecniche teatrali e pubblico",edited by L. Mozzoni, S. Santini. Napoli: Liguori, pp. 61–133 . * Scott, Pamela; Lee, Antoinette J. (1993). ''Buildings of the District of Columbia''. New York: Oxford University Press. . * Simeone, Nigel (2000). ''Paris: A Musical Gazetteer''. New Haven: Yale University Press. . * Sterling, Richard (2011). ''Vietnam & Angor Wat'' (DK Eyewitness Travel Guide). London: DK Publishing. . * * Watkin, David (1996). ''A History of Western Architecture'', 2nd edition. New York: Barnes & Noble Books. . * Woolf, Penelope (1988). "Symbol of the Second Empire: cultural politics and the Paris Opera House", pp. 214–235, in 'The Iconography of Landscape'', edited by Denis Cosgrove and Stephen Daniels. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . * Zeitz, Karyl Lynn (1991). ''Opera: the Guide to Western Europe's Great Houses''. Santa Fe, New Mexico: John Muir Publications. .

External links

*
L'Opéra Restaurant

Unused architectural drawings for the Opéra de Paris by Charles Rohault de Fleury360° Panoramas of the Paris Opera
by the Media Center for Art History at Columbia University
Selected images and video of the Palais Garnier
by Art Days {{authority control Music venues completed in 1875 Buildings and structures in the 9th arrondissement of Paris Opera houses in Paris Paris Opera Ballet venues Buildings and structures in Paris Terminating vistas in Paris The Phantom of the Opera Theatres completed in 1875 Historicist architecture in France Beaux-Arts architecture in France Baroque Revival architecture Second Empire architecture Music venues in France Charles Garnier buildings