Opera Comedie

The Opera Comedie, Montpellier. Image by Fritz Geller Grim 2.6.06 published under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 license

The Opera Comedie is an opera house located on the Place de la Comedie, the main square of Montpellier.

The first theatre on this site was completed in 1755 but was subsequently destroyed by fire and replaced by an exact replica in 1788.

This second theatre was also destroyed by fire in 1881. As the opera season was then in full swing a wooden makeshift theatre was quickly assembled on Montpellier's main street, the Esplanade. It was dismantled when the season finished two months later.

The current opera house was completed in 1888. It was designed by the architect Joseph Marie Cassien Bernard and can seat 1200 spectators.

The opera house possesses a second smaller auditorium at its rear, the salle Moliere, where recitals are held.

The Three Graces, Montpellier. Image by Fritz Geller Grim 2.6.06 published under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 license

The opera house contains the original statue of the Three Graces (1790) by the sculptor Etienne d'Antoine.

This statue used to stand outside the opera house at the centre of the Place de la Comedie but was replaced by a copy in 1989.

The Three Graces, rooted in Greek mythology, are Aglaea (beauty), Euphrosyne (mirth) and Thalia (good cheer).

The Place de la Comedie became Montpellier's principal square after the city's railway station was constructed nearby.

The Corum, Montpellier. Image published under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 License

The Esplanande, Montpellier's main street, runs along the north side of the Place de la Comedie and beyond to the Corum, a huge conference centre faced with pink marble.

The Corum, a controversial and expensive development, was completed in 1988. It houses 6000 square metres of exhibition space.

The Corum also incorporates a second opera house, the Berlioz, which can seat over 2000 spectators.

 

© 2006 LACT Limited. All rights reserved

Saint Peters  Porte du Peyrou  Pharmacy  Opera Comedie   Musee Fabre   Medical School   Jardin des plantes   Ecusson   Citadel   Antigone   Brief history