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| PARIS
HOMEPAGE » OPÉRA AREA » WHAT TO SEE |
OPÉRA GARNIER
Opéra |
The Opéra Garnier was built between 1862-1875, by the architect
Charles Garnier.
He was only 35 when awarded with the design of the new opera house.
The origins of the idea for a new opera house can be traced back
as far as forty years previous to 1820. When construction was finally
started, it was just as quickly suspended after the discovery of
an underground
Opéra detail |
lake and spring. Although this problem was overcome, the lake persists
and lies beneath the cellars of the building. Legend has it that
the Empress Eugénie asked Garnier whether the building was
to be in Greek or Roman style to which he replied ``It is in the
Napoléon III style Madame !'' It remains an ornate building
richly decorated with friezes, columns, and winged figures among
other statues and embellishments.
This richness continues inside with velvet, gold leaf, and nymphs
and cherubs. The auditorium's central chandelier weighs over six
tons, and its ceiling was painted in 1964 by Chagall. |
STE-TRINITÉ
Ste Trinité |
The church of Ste-Trinité was built in Italian Renaissance
style at the end of the XIX century. This church presents beautiful
painted vaults and is surrounded by an ornately fountained park
replete with tree-shaded benches.
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MUSÉE GRÉVIN
This museum, founded in 1882, has almost 500 wax figures depicting
personalities from French history and the art world. Bump into enigmatic
film director Alfred Hitchcock in a compartment on the Orient Express,
see young Mozart tinkling the ivories, and get close to well-known
singers, film stars and politicians. Some of French history's most
poignant moments have been immortalized, such as Joan of Arc's trial
and the imprisonment of young Louis XVII during the French Revolution.
The museum also has a theatre and a superb son et lumière
show, which was created for the 1900 World Fair. |
MUSÉE DE LA VIE ROMANTIQUE
This museum has retained the charm of a private residence. It was
the property of the painter Ary Scheffer and his nephew, the writer
Ernest Renan. The museum presents collections of souvenirs and works
of art left to the City of Paris and recalling two great figures
of the 19th century; the writer George Sand (1804 -1876) and Ary
Scheffer (1795-1858).The main room in the museum evokes the daily
world of George Sand. On the other side of the courtyard, is Ary
Scheffer's workshop where, from 1830 to 1858, he worked and received
Chopin, Liszt, Lamartine, Turgenev and Delacroix. This atmospheric
museum plunges the visitor into the living and working environment
of the romantics. Exhibitions evoke the artistic and literary life
of the mid-19th century. |
MUSÉE GUSTAVE MOREAU
Everything here was chosen by the painter Gustave Moreau (1826-1898)
who wanted this museum to be in his likeness and for his works to
be assembled here.Thousands of drawings, eight hundred watercolours
and paintings take the visitor into the world of Moreau, a painter
who was fascinated by mythological, biblical and literary themes.
Apart from the works of Moreau, the visitor will see his apartment
with his souvenirs (works by Degas, Ricard, Poussin and Chassériau).
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