THE pALAIS GARNIER

AN INTRODUCTION

• The Palais Garnier was designed by the famed architect Charles Garnier, hence the name, which literally translates to "Garnier Palace"
• The 2,013 seat opera house was built between 1861-1875 for the Paris Opera, a theatre group based in Paris.
• The Garnier is the setting for the famous novel and later play, "The Phantom of the Opera", written by Gaston Leroux.

CONSTRUCTION

• In the mid 19th century, the Paris Opera needed a permanent home, as their temporary base on Rue le Peletier was not sufficient. Thus, the Garnier was born.
• Charles Garnier named the unique architectural style of the building "Style Napoleon III", after the then head of state in France.
• During construction, The avenue de l'Opera was created, running between the former Tuileries Palace (now a courtyard by the Louvre) and the Garnier.

OPENING & USAGE

• The entire Palais Garnier complex (including the square in front of it) was opened on January 5th, 1875, with Marshall MacMahon (the then-president of France), the Lord Mayors of London & Amsterdam, and many other important guests at the opening ceremony.
• In 1923, the French government listed the opera house as a "Monument Historique".
• The Opera Bastille opened in 1989, replacing the Garnier as the new major opera house of Paris.

ARCHITECTURE

• The unique "Style Napoleon III" makes the Garnier a one of a kind building.
• The façade of the Garnier has friezes, sculpted figures, mosaics, and designed columns.
• There are two golden colored statues located on the top left and top right of the façade, named Harmony & Poetry.

INTERIOR

• The Grand Staircase leads to the seating levels and the Grand Foyer.
• Located underneath the Grand Staircase is the Pythia Basin, with a statue of the priestess Pythia.
• The Grand Foyer is a domed-ceiling hall with paintings, chandeliers, statues, and elegant mosaics covering nearly everything.
• The main auditorium has five tiers, and is decorated with velvet, stucco, gold leaf, and marble. There is a 340 light chandelier designed by Garnier himself hanging above.

IN THE PLAY

• The Opera House is the setting for the play "The Phantom of the Opera", in which the building's architect is the main character Erik, who designs the building with many secret passageways and a place for him to live. When the Garnier was first constructed, there was an underground "lake" which was built over, and is still accessible through the Opera House.
• The famous falling chandelier scene in the play is based off of a real event, in which a counterweight, which was part of the mechanism holding up the majestic chandelier, broke off and killed a woman in the audience.

CREDITS

• http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com/background/paris-opera-house
• http://frenchmoments.eu/palais-garnier-paris/