History and Architecture of the Lille Opera

In 1787, the city of Lille opened its Grand Théâtre, where the majority of the city's musical and singing performances would take place. The Théâtre Lequeux, named after its local architect, was destroyed by fire in 1903. The city then decided to build a temporary theater out of bricks, the Théâtre Sébastopol, as interim measure until they could build a new opera house.

Louis-Marie Cordonnier paid particular attention to the decorative aspects, which were originally designed in shades of blue and gold, with a focus on the theme of mythology. The facade was ornamented with allegorical figures, as were the Grand Foyer (Entrance Hall) and the cupola of the Grande Salle (Main Hall).

The new building was miraculously spared the bombardments of October 1914, which razed the surrounding neighborhood to the ground, and was requisitioned by the German army, who staged around one hundred shows and concerts during their occupation that lasted almost four years. It was not until 1923 that the Lille Opera enjoyed its French premiere. The opera house went on to host great singers and actors like Cabanel, José de Trévi, Huberty, and Georges Thill, until it was occ

The dilapidation of certain elements of the opera house and the desire to give the public a high-quality venue in both technical and esthetic terms encouraged the Lille city authorities to close the building in 1998 in order to carry out major construction work. In particular, the stage was renovated and modernized, while new rehearsal areas were set up to support the artistic teams in their creative work.