Soaring above the Place de l'Opéra, this 19th-century architectural masterpiece embodies Napoleon III's vision of Paris as the cultural capital of Europe. Designed by Charles Garnier and completed in 1875, the opera house revolutionized theater architecture with its double-rotunda structure separating aristocratic patrons from general audiences - a physical manifestation of Second Empire social hierarchies.
The building's Grand Staircase steals immediate attention with its white marble steps flanked by onyx balustrades, leading to a vaulted ceiling where Chagall's 1964 fresco adds a modern counterpoint to the original gold-leaf ornamentation. The auditorium's crimson velvet seats and 8-ton bronze-and-crystal chandelier create an intimate atmosphere despite its 1,900-seat capacity, while the stage's 15-meter-deep underground lake (inspiring Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera) remains functional for hydraulic stage machinery.
Beyond performances, visitors admire the Grand Foyer's mirrored arches and ceiling paintings rivaling Versailles' Hall of Mirrors. The Bibliothèque-Musée de l'Opéra preserves three centuries of set designs and musical scores. Today, while modern opera has moved to Bastille, the Palais Garnier continues hosting ballet performances, its gilded interiors whispering stories of Degas' dancers and masked balls that once defined Parisian high society.
