The Salle Favart ( French pronunciation: [sal favaʁ] ), officially the Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique ( [teatʁ də lɔpeʁa kɔmik] ), is a Paris opera house and theatre, the current home of the Opéra-Comique . It was built from 1893 to 1898 in a neo-Baroque style to the designs of the French architect Louis Bernier and is located on the Place Boïeldieu just south of the Boulevard des Italiens . For part of its history it was known as the Théâtre Royal Italien ( [teatʁə ʁwajal italjɛ̃] ).
10-414: The Salle Favart is the third theatre with this name on this site. The first Salle Favart, built to the designs of Jean-François Heurtier , opened on 28 April 1783. Charles Simon Favart was the company's director at the time. It was destroyed by fire on the night of 14 or 15 January 1838. The second Salle Favart, built to the designs of Théodore Charpentier [ fr ] , opened on 16 May 1840. It
20-449: A horseshoe shape with four galleries, a traditional design with roots reaching as far back as the 17th century. The structure has iron framework for reasons of fire resistance (the use of iron in theatre construction began in the 1780s), but unlike more forward-looking architects, Bernier concealed the frame with heavy stone. In keeping with the neo-Baroque design, nearly photo-realistic allegorical paintings were commissioned to decorate
30-497: A pavilion for the Château de Meudon ; loosely based on preliminary designs by King Louis. [REDACTED] Media related to Jean-François Heurtier at Wikimedia Commons Th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre Montansier (Versailles) The Théâtre Montansier , also known as the Théâtre de Versailles , is a French theatre in rue des Réservoirs, Versailles , near the royal château . It was created by
40-785: The Institut in 1806. This was followed by appointments to the Council of Civil Buildings (1807), and as Inspector General of the Great Roads (1809). His principal works include the Théâtre Montansier in Versailles (1777), and the original " Salle Favart "; home of the Comédie-Italienne , now known as the Opéra-Comique (1783). It was destroyed by a fire in 1838. In the 1780s, he also designed
50-485: The actress and theatre director Mademoiselle Montansier , designed by Jean-François Heurtier , inspecteur général des bâtiments du roi and designer of the first Salle Favart of the Opéra-Comique . The theatre opened 18 November 1777, with Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette in attendance. It has been headed by such figures as Marcelle Tassencourt , wife of Thierry Maulnier , and Francis Perrin . Since 2000, it has been headed by Jean-Daniel Laval who, since taking on
60-523: The competition was Louis Bernier (a former student of Honoré Daumet at the École des Beaux-Arts ), who had won the Prix de Rome in 1872. The new Salle Favart, built from 1893 to 1898, is typical of Beaux-Arts architecture . The neo-Baroque facade is an adaptation of Garnier's design for the Opéra , and the elaborate exterior and interior decoration shows the influence of both Garnier and Daumet. The auditorium has
70-605: The theatre's foyers, and in spite of budgetary constraints, the decorators "managed to produce an interior of overbearing opulence, especially in the lavishly histrionic, gilt-dripping stuccowork of the auditorium." The critical reception was quite varied, with the rationalists attacking the "delirious frivolity" of the design, and the traditionalists defending it as appropriate for the operettas to be performed inside. Jean-Fran%C3%A7ois Heurtier Jean-François Heurtier ( French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃ fʁɑ̃swa œʁtje] ; 6 March 1739, Paris - 16 April 1822, Versailles )
80-618: Was Inspector General of the King's Buildings, and an official architect for the City of Paris. In 1801, he was elected a member of the Institut de France and the Académie des Beaux-Arts , where he took Seat #4 for architecture, succeeding Jacques Denis Antoine (deceased). Three years later, he was appointed Commissaire Voyer [ fr ] (a superintendent of roads). He served two terms as President of
90-527: Was a French architect. He studied at the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture , and was awarded the Prix de Rome in 1765. He was received as a member of the Académie royale d'architecture in 1776, and remained with that organization until its dissolution in 1793. Under the reign of Louis XVI , he served as second-in-command to the King's Architect, Louis-Denis Le Camus [ fr ] . Later, he
100-528: Was destroyed by fire on 25 May 1887. After long deliberation following the second fire, a decision was finally reached to rebuild on the same constricted site. A competition was held, judged by five winners of the Grand Prix de Rome (including Charles Garnier , the architect of the Opéra ), which ensured the design would reflect academic and official tastes. Because of disputes within the profession, more avant-garde architects did not participate. The winner of
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