Théâtre Graslin
Encyclopedia
Opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for opera performances that consists of a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and set building...
in the city of Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Created in a new district of the city in the late 18th Century by the local architect Mathurin Crucy
Mathurin Crucy
Mathurin Crucy was a French architect and urban planner, who conceived a major Neo-Classical architectural programme for Nantes which deeply marked the town.- Life :...
and named after the owner of the land, Jean-Louis Graslin. Built in the Italian style, the auditorium holds 822 people.
Inaugurated on 23 March 1788 it quickly became a major opera house for the city which nowadays, along with the "Grand Théâtre d'Angers", combines with Angers to form a joint Angers-Nantes opera.
Unfortunately, it was destroyed by fire 1796, but it was reconstructed to coincide with the 1811 visit by Emperor Napoléon 1st. It was restored again in 2003 and continues to be used for opera and other performances.