Opéra-Comique
The National Theatre of the Opera Comique, also called “Salle Favart”, burned and rebuilt twice over (in 1838
and in 1887), was erected in 1898 by Louis Bernier. After a recent restoration of the grand foyer, the Opéra
Comique has recaptured its splendour and beauty, the freshness of its painted scenes on the walls and ceilings,
the baroque richness of its stucco, marble and panelling. The gilded chandeliers with 116 bulbs (the Salle Favart
was the first European theatre to be fully equipped with electricity) decorated with satyr and nymph masks are
now again illuminating the grand foyer. They were made by the firm Christofle. This eclectic 1898 decor was
designed by the painters Gervex, Merson, Flameng, Collin and Toudouze, all official artists of the Third Republic
and tremendously popular during the Belle Epoque.
