The Théâtre Graslin of Nantes, part II !!!

Posted in Bretagne, France

We have come quite often to Nantes, a City that needs to be visited more by all. A wonderful historical city with many monuments to see, many wonderful properties. I was again on my local road warrior mode and as bit not back, decided to give it a refresher to this must to visit City of Nantes, Loire-Atlantique dept 44 of the Pays de la Loire region,in my belle France ; even if old Bretagne! Do read my previous posts on the city as well, For now let me tell you about the wonderful Théâtre Graslin of Nantes, part II !! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Nantes theatre Gasclin front mar24

The Théâtre Graslin theater or Grand Théâtre is the opera house of Nantes. Built at the end of the 18C. It is located on Place Graslin, between the streets of rue Molière, rue Scribe and rue  Corneille. The hall has a capacity of 784 seats. It is, with the Grand Théâtre d’Angers, one of the two places of residence of the Angers-Nantes Opéra joint syndicate.

More translation from the heritage site of the City of Nantes on the Théâtre Graslin,

Twelve steps lead to the vestibule, while eight Corinthian columns support the pediment. The eight antique-style statues overlooking each column, representing eight of the nine muses, date from the time of reconstruction. The hall is decorated with two statues, representing Corneille and Molière, respectively to the left and to the right of the staircase of honor. On both sides of the hall, there are two low reliefs emblazoned with the coats of arms of Jean van Styrum, prefect of Loire-Inferieure (now Loire Atlantique), and Jean-Pierre Bachasson de Montalivet, Minister of the Interior. This heraldic decor, one of the only still in place dating from the First Empire,(period of Napoléon Ier) begins on the main facade with the imperial coat of arms of the City of Nantes and that of its mayor Jean-Baptiste Bertrand-Geslin. It’s an Italian-style theater inside a neoclassical building. The interior design is guided by considerations related to visibility and acoustics. Like most rooms of the time, that of Graslin theater is in the form of truncated oval.

The Grand Théâtre in the Graslin district is a true manifesto of neoclassical architecture, asserts itself as a high place of culture in Nantes. The Jeu de Paume salles or rooms or rue du Bignon-Lestard (current rue Scribe) have become cramped and uncomfortable. It is under the leadership of Jean-Joseph-Louis Graslin, receiver general of farms in Nantes, and with the intervention of Mathurin Crucy architect of the city, that the project materializes. It was not until March 23, 1788 that the Grand Théâtre was inaugurated. The theater is truly a manifesto of neoclassical architecture. It testifies to a pronounced taste for ancient Greek architecture. The facade is preceded by an eight column peristyle of Corinthian. These columns support an entablature surmounted by eight sculptures representing the Muses. These were carried out by Dominique Molknecht in 1808, placed on the facade of the theater in 1825. Four columns were repeated at the entrance to the vestibule. We access the main entrance by a monumental stair of 14 steps. The theater presents an openwork facade overlooking a vaulted and oblong vestibule. The vault is decorated with rosette boxes and is finished on both sides with a cul-de-for. Staircases decorated with statues of Molière and Corneille lead to the first and second lodges of the performance hall, of oval shape.

On August 24, 1796, during a representation of Zémire and Azor, a candle flame in a setting caused a fire that ravaged the performance hall, sparing the large gallery and the facade to peristyle. Napoléon 1er visiting Nantes in 1808 indignant by the destruction of the performance hall and aware of the usefulness of the arts to serve the greatness of its power, grants funds to the city so that it finances its reconstruction. The work did not start until 1811, under the direction of Mathurin Crucy. The Grand Théâtre will be reborn in 1813.

The official Angers Nantes opera theater on the théâtre Graslin : https://www.angers-nantes-opera.com/angers-nantes-opera/theatre-graslin-1401/

The Nantes tourist office on the Graslin theater: https://www.levoyageanantes.fr/en/places/graslin-theatre/

There you go folks, do visit Nantes,and its wonderful monuments.  A must to visit while in the city ; see the wonderful Théâtre Graslin of Nantes, part II !!! Again, hope you enjoy this post as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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