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An Apollonaut travel guide
The place behind the spectacle.
A grand staircase, gilded foyers and a famous auditorium offer several ways into the story of the Palais Garnier.
On this page
An opera house for a new Paris
Napoleon III commissioned the opera house as part of the rebuilding of Paris. Charles Garnier won the design competition in 1861, and the building opened on 5 January 1875.
Its marble, gilding, sculpture and painted ceilings were meant to impress, and the public spaces were designed for audiences to see and be seen.
Stage and auditorium
The red-and-gold auditorium is crowned by a great chandelier and by the ceiling Marc Chagall painted in 1964. Today the Palais Garnier mainly stages ballet, alongside opera and concerts.
Rehearsals and performances come first, so access to the auditorium during a visit is never guaranteed.
A building and a legend
Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera made the building’s cellars and its underground water famous around the world.
This history belongs to the place and the people who shaped it. The History page offers a longer introduction, and the timeline gives a short route through selected milestones.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
- Opéra national de Paris: Palais Garnier
- Opéra national de Paris: The Paris Opera in the 19th century
- Opéra national de Paris: The Paris Opera in the 20th century
Links lead to the original publishers.
