Royal Opera
Royal Opera features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Versailles. Give it roughly ~30 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type theater
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Versailles Versailles guide
About Royal Opera
Knock the marble columns and they sound hollow: this jewel-box theatre is almost entirely painted wood, thrown up in under two years for Marie-Antoinette's wedding.
The Royal Opera was designed by architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, who gave it an oval auditorium plan exceptional for its time. It was inaugurated on 16 May 1770 to celebrate the marriage of the Dauphin, the future Louis XVI, and Archduchess Marie-Antoinette of Austria, opening with a revival of Lully's opera 'Persée.' Though a palace opera had been envisaged for decades, the intensive construction was completed in under two years.
The auditorium is built almost entirely of wood, painted in trompe-l'oeil to imitate marble; the finish was chosen for cost, speed and acoustics, and the wooden interior is credited with the hall's fine sound. Augustin Pajou directed the sculptural decoration, while Louis-Jean-Jacques Durameau painted the ceiling, showing Apollo preparing crowns for illustrious artists. Ingenious stage machinery could raise the orchestra floor to stage level, converting the theatre, which seated about 712, into a ballroom for some 1,200.
Did you know? The ceiling has an author: Louis-Jean-Jacques Durameau painted its Apollo crowning great artists, while the sculptor Augustin Pajou oversaw the carved decoration and the bas-reliefs running along the fronts of the boxes.
How long is a visit to Royal Opera?
Set aside roughly ~30 min for Royal Opera. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Royal Opera worth your time?
Royal Opera is among the 15 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Versailles, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Versailles
Day 1 of the Versailles in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Royal Opera
Preview the Versailles tour free in the Gingerguide app.