Royal Opera of Versailles

Royal Opera of Versailles
(Opéra royal de Versailles)

View of the opera
General information
Architect	Ange-Jacques Gabriel
Decorator	Augustin Pajou
Construction dates	1763-1770
Date of inauguration	16 May 1770
Inaugural occasion	Marriage of the dauphin (future Louis XVI) with archduchess Marie-Antoinette of Austria
Seating, as a theater	712
Accommodation as salle de spectacle	1,200
Construction material	Wood (interior ornament) Masonry (structure)[1]
Central ceiling painting	Apollo preparing the crowns for illustrious Men of the Arts by Louis Jean-Jacques Durameau (1733–1796)

The Royal Opera of Versailles (French: Opéra royal de Versailles) is the main theatre and opera house of the Palace of Versailles. Designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, it is also known as the Théâtre Gabriel.^[2] The interior decoration by Augustin Pajou is constructed almost entirely of wood, painted to resemble marble in a technique known as faux marble. The excellent acoustics of the opera house are at least partly due to its wooden interior.^[3]

The house is located at the northern extremity of the north wing of the palace. General public access to the theater is gained through the two-story vestibule. Some parts of the Opera, such as the king's Loge and the king's Boudoir represent some of the earliest expressions of what would become known as Louis XVI style.^[4]

Jean-Baptiste Lully's Persée — written in 1682, the year Louis XIV moved into the palace — inaugurated the Opera on 16 May 1770 in celebration of the marriage of the Dauphin — the future Louis XVI — to Marie Antoinette.^[5]

The Opera Royal can serve either as a theater for opera, stage plays, or orchestral events, when it can accommodate an audience of 712, or as a ballroom, when the floor of the orchestra level of the auditorium can be raised to the level of the stage. On these occasions, the Opera can accommodate 1,200.