It Was Better Then Versailles

This title may come off as a shock to some, and definitely to King Louis XIV, but to me it rings true. Today we visited Opera Garnier, and in my opinion, it was better than Versailles. Let me explain.

I am in no way saying Versailles is underwhelming or unimpressive whatsoever. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen in my life. I could make a whole other post about that and all I learned from my experience there. However, since the sunburn on my chest and shoulders from that day still remains from the scorching sun (thank you Sun King), I am slightly bitter about it and would much rather talk about our tour of the Opera Garnier.

I don’t even know where to start with this so I will just talk about it in the order we walked through it/learned about it. The south facade of the Opera is currently undergoing construction that began in April of this year and is expected to end by late 2024. This was slightly disappointing as there are beautiful archways and columns all along the back steps that I would have loved to see in person. However, the way the city is handling the reconstruction is generally pleasing to my preservation mind. The Opera Garnier was built in 1861 and was listed as a historic monument in 1923. This reconstruction project is led by the Operator of Cultural Heritage and Real Estate Projects as well as the chief architect of historical monuments, Pascal Prunet. As the building is over a century old, maintenance and restoration are obviously required and are important factors when it comes to the continuation and usability of the space. The south facade has been covered in scaffolding with a detailed and impressive scaffolding sheet displaying an image of what is behind the construction in an attempt to retain the aesthetics of the structure (Image A). In contrast, there was a gigantic advertisement on the scaffolding sheet that does not match or replicate any of the original designs of the South Facade. However, the advertising profits help to finance the €7.2 million project. So I can’t be too mad when I am using my preservation brain since the ugly ad is paying for the conservation of this historic monument.

Once we walked around to the other side, we were able to enter the building and were met with a grand facade that even included a gold-etched model of the ground floor plan designed by Charles Garnier himself (Image B). Each lampost lining the entrance has a Napoleonic N marking the fact that this building embraces the glory of Napoleon. And it only gets more impressive from here…

The entry-level of the Opera had outstanding ornate decorations. There were ionic columns and archways supporting a highly decorated ceiling just in the space where you buy your tickets (Image C). Exiting this area into the main section of the Opera house was also stunning. There was a delicate statue of a ballerina and carvings on the walls and ceilings continued throughout (Image D). There were even carvings of lyre harps in the ceiling which helped to inform visitors of the use of the space as well as creating a musical atmosphere before even getting to the same level as the stage.

Learning about the grand entrance and staircase was very interesting. I mean, it was breathtaking in every direction you looked. Not an inch of the interior of this building was left undecorated. From the enormously tall, vaulted, carved, and painted ceilings, to the floral mosaic tiles on the floor, it was covered in ornate details (Image E-G). There were even gigantic chandeliers and gorgeous caryatids. Throughout this entirely over-the-top staircase and entrance, there are statues and sculptures of muses, mainly Poetry and Music, further adding to the artistic and musical ambiance of the entrance to the opera. This grandness helped make coming to an Opera or ballet an event in itself. It was a spectacle just to arrive; often times people were more focused on those attending the show than the actual shows themselves. As a prior theater kid, I try not to be offended by that… however, I can also understand that the grand gossip and scandal occurring in the opera house was equally entertaining.

Probably one of my favorite aspects of the Opera Garnier is the basement. We learned the area of the 9th arrondissement that Opera Garnier is located in used to be an entirely different terrain. There were hills and valleys that have been flattened to ground level in order to create streets suitable for Paris (diagonals with terminal vistas). Becuase of this man-made topography change, the area is more likely to have problems with flooding. In order to avoid this ruining the space itself and events held at Opera Garnier, there is an entire man-made lake underneath it! This stunned me for a couple of reasons. Number 1, what an incredibly genius idea. There was a problem with flooding and so they just raised the opera house up and allowed the basement to be filled with water in a safe and controlled manner to avoid unpredicted floods. Number 2, it has a whole ecosystem! There are plants and fish and microorganisms just hanging out under an opera house in Paris. Cool! Number 3, I had questions about how there could be so much water under a building without causing damage. Luckily my roomie Grace sent me a link to the Opera de Nationale website where they have virtual 3D tours of the entire space. I visited the basement lake and saw that it has concrete walls with flemish brick bond ceilings. This way there is no possibility of wood rot and the water is appropriately contained. And lastly number 4. Yet again, my theater kid heart was activated and I immediately thought of The Phantom of the Opera and his underground water-filled basement chambers. I was rather delighted to be able to make this connection. To be honest I was thinking about Phantom of the Opera the whole time because so much of this opera house reminded me of that musical. Probably because the musical setting for film and onstage productions was inspired by this exact opera/ballet house! It was super cool to be in a place that inspired the story for one of my favorite musicals. I will put the link to the virtual tours below, but honestly, if you are ever in Paris you need to visit the Opera Garnier in person because, well, it was better than Versailles.

Virtual Tour- https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/op%C3%A9ra-national-de-paris?hl=en

Info on the construction- https://www.constructioncayola.com/batiment/article/2023/05/09/144148/restauration-facade-principale-palais-garnier