Both the Grand Foyer and Grand Staircase are made from marble with heavy ornamentation and sculpture. The inside of the Palais Garnier is exquisite with a grand staircase, foyer, and auditorium. The Palais Garnier has been called “probably the most famous opera house in the world, a symbol of Paris like Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, or the Sacré Coeur Basilica.” The building has had such an impact on French culture that it has been used in many movies, and perhaps most famously, as the setting in The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the behest of Emperor Napoleon III.The Opéra Garnier is are representative of the Napoleon III style, unquestionably a masterpiece of the first rank. The Opéra aims to be an academy of music, choreography and lyric poetry it is a major element of the heritage of the 9th arrondissement of Paris. In spite of the change of names and the Opera company’s relocation to the Opéra Bastille, the Palais Garnier is still known by many people as the Paris Opéra, as have all of the several theatres which have served as the principal venues of the Parisian Opera and Ballet since its initiation.The Opéra Garnier, most well known as the National Opera of Paris, is a theatrical and architectural work of art. After the opera company chose the Opéra Bastille as their principal theatre upon its completion during 1989, the theatre was re-named as the Palais Garnier, though Académie Nationale de Musique is still sprawled above the columns of its front façade. It retained this title until 1978 when it was re-named the Théâtre National de l’Opéra de Paris. Upon its inauguration during 1875, the opera house was named officially the Académie Nationale de Musique – Théâtre de l’Opéra.

A grand building designed by Charles Garnier in the Neo-Baroque (or “Baroque Revival”) style, it is regarded as one of the architectural masterpieces of its time.

The Palais Garnier, known also as the Opéra de Paris or Opéra Garnier, but more commonly as the Paris Opéra, is a 1,600-seat opera house on the Place de l’Opéra in Paris, France, which was the primary home of the Paris Opera from 1875 until 1989.

Paris opera house facade