The Opera Garnier, is a renowned opera house in Paris, France. Designed by the architect Charles Garnier, it is a masterpiece of Second Empire architecture and was inaugurated in 1875. The Opera Garnier is celebrated for its opulent and ornate interiors, including the famous grand staircase, chandeliers, and Marc Chagall-painted ceiling. It continues to host ballet and opera performances and is an iconic symbol of Parisian cultural heritage.

📸: Andrea Perotta, Constance de Tourniel

opéra garnier, paris

Opéra Garnier by jbperraudin.

Opera Garnier à Paris

Audrey Hepburn by Luc Fournol during the filming of Funny Face, Paris, 1956

Wandering Child 🥀

Painting process for Christine

Opera Garnier, Paris

Model Claude Heidemeyer in the roof of the Opéra Garnier, Paris, 1986 by Manfred Thierry Mugler

Brassaï, Gala à l’Opéra Garnier, Paris, France, 1930

The inspiration behind the Estella Opera House

PSA for everyone who doesn't know: The Estella Opera House in Lies of P is based on the Opéra Garnier in Paris.

Source 1, Source 2

Built from 1861 to 1875, it served as Paris's main opera house during the Belle Époque and a center of cultural life. To top things off, the Opéra Garnier is also the original setting for the story of The Phantom of the Opera: Some strange occurrences in the opera's past - such as mysterious noises coming from underground during the first performance and the unresolved accident of a chandelier counterweight crashing down and killing the concierge Madame Chomette - spawned the tale of a specter haunting the opera. The secret passageways of the cellar and rumors of a subterranean lake only fueled the myth, which was eventually used by Gaston Leroux as the basis for his famous novel.

In fact, the blazing, swinging chandelier and the access to the basement located in the same room are most likely a reference to this.

Opera Garnier where Phantom is based off of in Gaston Leroux's book. The chandelier did fall in the late 1800’s. Other accounts state it was one of the counter weights and not the chandelier. There’s many variations of Erik’s origin but Christine was based off a Swedish singer of the same 1st name.

A couturier must be an architect for design, a sculptor for shape, a painter for colour, a musician for harmony, and a philosopher for temperance.

Cristobal Balenciaga

P A R I S

Audrey Hepburn at the Opera Garnier during the filming of Funny Face, Paris, 1956