Palais Garnier

Palais Garnier

Blogged by Marcus Bellamy

I’m not going to lie – I was pretty excited about seeing this place, and while I was disappointed (in regards to my excitement in going), I was intrigued and amazed nonetheless, which turned the outing to the Palais Garnier a fantastic jaunt for that evening.

The Palais Garnier was built because of a competition put in place by Napoleon III.  Architects submitted designs for the new opera house, and the design, drawn by Charles Garnier, won the competition almost unanimously.  Unfortunately, Napoleon III did not live to see the completion of this structure which was made in part as a monument to him.  Let’s step inside and take a look at this magnificent building.

Here you can see, in the low ceiling of the rotunda, something that was unheard of in Garnier’s time: the architect’s signature.  Garnier was the first architect to include his signature on a building of this magnitude.  You can almost make out the dates “1861” and “1875,” the dates of the beginning and ending of the Opera House’s construction.

Garnier wanted his Opera House to be dedicated to the arts, and who better to dedicate it to than to Apollo, the Greek god of music.  Above the grand staircase is a mural of the gods, and on one side is this one of Apollo in his chariot:

However, Garnier could not decorate the whole of his creation with images of Apollo, so he designed the building with motifs of Apollo, such as his lyre, which can be seen in many places throughout the opera house.

Today, the Palais Garnier mainly produces ballets, which are no small event.  Here are three such ballets that have performed on the stage of Palais Garnier in recent years:

Défilé du Ballet

Djémil Variation Act 1

Gipsy dance in Don Quixote

Now, you may have heard whispers of the legend of the Phantom of the Opera, which originated from this esteemed establishment…

Much to my dismay, they are untrue.  There never was an Opera Ghost, as was told in the story written by Gaston Leroux, nor was there ever a lake or river beneath the foundations of the opera house.  In reality, there was an abundance of groundwater on the build site, which Garnier used advantageously: he designed a double foundation to protect the superstructure from moisture, which incorporated an enormous concrete cistern – this would relieve pressure of the external groundwater on the basement walls AND serve as a reservoir in case of fire.  In fact, there now exist within this cistern several carp and eels.

If you are ever in Paris, neglecting the chance to take in the splendor of such a theatre would be a mistake on your part.  Be sure to stop by the Palais Garnier, if even just for a moment, if you ever find the chance.