Outside of its importance in the France opera community, the Palais Garnier is a shining showcase of the artistry on display in Paris. The Palais Garnier has been called 'probably the most famous opera house in the world, a symbol of Paris like Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, or the Sacré Coeur Basilica.' This is at least partly due to its use as the setting for Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera and, especially, the novel's subsequent adaptations in films and the popular 1986 musical.The Palais Garnier is one of the homes of the Paris Opera and regularly hosts some of the most stunning operatic and theatrical performances in the world. The Palais Garnier has been called 'probably the most famous opera house in the world, a symbol of Paris like Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, or the Sacré Coeur Basilica.' This is at least partly due to its use as the setting for Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel The Phantom of the Opera and, especially, the novel's subsequent adaptations in films and the popular 1986 musical. The theatre has been a monument historique of France since 1923. The company now uses the Palais Garnier mainly for ballet. It was the primary theatre of the Paris Opera and its associated Paris Opera Ballet until 1989, when a new opera house, the Opéra Bastille, opened at the Place de la Bastille.

Initially referred to as le nouvel Opéra de Paris, it soon became known as the Palais Garnier, 'in acknowledgment of its extraordinary opulence' and the architect Charles Garnier's plans and designs, which are representative of the Napoleon III style. It was built for the Paris Opera from 1861 to 1875 at the behest of Emperor Napoleon III. The Palais Garnier, also known as Opéra Garnier, is a 1,979-seat opera house at the Place de l'Opéra in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France.

Paris opera house palais garnier