The Opera House was truly groundbreaking for its time
King Louis XIV may have been the brains – and the wealth – behind most of Versailles, including the legendary Hall of Mirrors, but it was his successor who inaugurated the Royal Opera House. Far from being a folly, this was – and indeed still is – regarded as one of the finest cultural venues in all of Europe. More than simply a lavishly-decorated thing of beauty, King Louis XV’s Opera House is celebrated for its numerous technical accomplishments, many of them overlooked by the millions of tourists who visit the palace each year.
King Louis XIV had initially intended to build a world-class opera house. However, old age got in the way of his plans, and he focused his energy on finishing the palace’s private chapel instead. It looked like his successor would similarly neglect the proposed opera house too. However, in 1742, he appointed Jacques-Agne Gabriel as his principal architect and gave him the green light to give Versailles ‘the perfect theatre’. Gabriel’s work was truly pioneering in more ways than one.
For starters, the Royal Opera House was oval, with architects only having just realised the way in which scrapping corners improved the acoustics. He also made the rows staggered, again something of a novelty at the time and one which would allow more people to enjoy an uninterrupted view of the stage. Perhaps most impressive of all, however, was the system of winches and hoists which could be used to transform the hall from a theatre into a ballroom, even if such a transformation took a large team of men two whole days to complete.
The Royal Opera House was officially inaugurated for a royal wedding in May of 1770. Between then and the Revolution of 1789, however, it was only used on 40 occasions, including for balls or receptions. Unlike some parts of the palace, the hall survived the Revolution and Napoleon would later use it for formal banquets. More recently, the Opera House was restored to its former glory in 2009, though health and safety regulations means that the original machinery is no longer in use.