Also known as Salle Favart, the Opéra Comique is a performance hall located on Place Boieldieu, in the heart of the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. Founded under Louis XIV in 1714, the establishment was then dedicated to performances of pantomimes and parodies of operas.
The current room was inaugurated in 1783 in the presence of Marie Antoinette and is noted on the list of four major Parisian theaters in 1807. In 1838, a fire destroyed the building which was rebuilt in 1840 by Theodore Charpentier for a capacity of reception of 1255 places. Amazing, the new room reveals a metal structure and a very intimate lighting.
Knowing very great successes in the nineteenth century, the Opéra Comique was again destroyed by a fire in 1887. It was definitely rebuilt in 1898 in a less austere exterior style, including a large cornice supporting ten caryatids. He ceased his activity in 1972 to become for several years a place of training for young singers.
Becoming the Opéra's second auditorium, it regained its independence in 1990 after the construction of the Opéra Bastille. Considered as the equivalent of Opera Garnier and smaller in terms of architecture, the Opéra Comique still attracts a large number of spectators today thanks to its exceptional programming.