Photo of the Week – September 25, 2014

The warm tones of this photo and the scale of the opulent space pictured versus the figures within it drew me to this image of Paris’ Palais Garnier, also known as l’Opéra de Paris. Here we see ‘le grand escalier’ (the grand staircase). Made of white, red and green marble, the staircase divides into two opposing flights of stairs that lead up to the Grand Foyer. The opera house seats 1,979 and was built between 1861 and 1875. It was originally named the Salle des Capucines since it is located on Boulevard des Capucines in the 9th arrondissement, but with time it became known as the Palais Garnier after its architect Charles Garnier. Gaston Leroux’s novel The Phantom of the Opera, along with its film and musical adaptations, is set in the Parisian opera house, a factor that contributed greatly to the Palais Garnier’s fame.

Photo by scarletgreen [CC BY 2.0] via Flickr