Fire destroys the Théâtre du Palais-Royal
- When
- 1763–1770
- Where
- Opera theatre in the east wing of the Palais-Royal, rue Saint-Honoré, Paris; Rebuilt Opera theatre east of the original site, near the present rue de Valois
- Episodes
- 2
In 1763 a fire destroyed the theatre in the east wing of the Palais-Royal in Paris, which had housed the Paris Opera (the Académie Royale de Musique) since Jean-Baptiste Lully took it over after Molière's death in 1673. The Opera's theatre was later rebuilt to designs by Pierre-Louis Moreau Desproux on a slightly more easterly site and reopened in 1770.
Episodes
- Fire destroys the Opera's theatre at the Palais-Royal
In 1763 the theatre housing the Paris Opera in the Palais-Royal's east wing was destroyed by fire.
- Rebuilt theatre reopens in 1770
The Opera's theatre was rebuilt to Pierre-Louis Moreau Desproux's designs on a slightly more easterly site, reopening in 1770.
Background and detail
Background. The Palais-Royal, a former royal palace standing on the Rue Saint-Honoré in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, contained one of the city's most important public theatres. The theatre occupied the east wing, on a site just to the west of what is now the rue de Valois. After Molière's death in 1673, the theatre passed to Jean-Baptiste Lully, who used it for his Académie Royale de Musique, the official name of the Paris Opera at that time.
The Fire of 1763. In 1763 the Opera's theatre in the Palais-Royal was destroyed by fire. The supplied sources confirm the destruction but do not state the month or day, the cause of the blaze, or any named actors or officials involved, so those details cannot be asserted here.
Aftermath and Rebuilding. Following the fire, the Opera's theatre was rebuilt to the designs of the architect Pierre-Louis Moreau Desproux. The new building was erected on a site slightly further to the east, where the rue de Valois is located today, and reopened in 1770.
People involved
- Jean-Baptiste Lully · Former holder of the theatre, used it for his Académie Royale de Musique (Paris Opera)
- Pierre-Louis Moreau Desproux · Architect of the post-fire rebuilding
Sources
- Palais-Royal Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-06
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.