This stunning photograph by Massimo Listri captures the opulent auditorium of the Palais Garnier, Paris's most celebrated opera house. The image showcases the theater's lavish red and gold interior, with its magnificent stage framed by the iconic red velvet curtain. Above the proscenium arch, the date "ANNO 1669" commemorates the founding of the Paris Opera under Louis XIV, though the Palais Garnier itself was built much later.

Designed by architect Charles Garnier, the opera house was commissioned by Napoleon III as part of Baron Haussmann's grand renovation of Paris. Construction began in 1861 but was delayed by numerous setbacks, including the discovery of an underground lake (later inspiring Gaston Leroux's "The Phantom of the Opera"). The building was finally inaugurated in 1875, becoming an architectural symbol of the Second Empire style with its eclectic blend of Baroque, Renaissance, and Classical elements.

The Palais Garnier represents the pinnacle of 19th-century theatrical design, with every surface adorned with sculptures, paintings, and gilded ornamentation. Today, while most opera performances have moved to the modern Opéra Bastille, the Palais Garnier remains home to the Paris Ballet and stands as a monument to France's artistic heritage.

Massimo Listri, an Italian photographer known for his meticulous documentation of historic interiors, captures the theater's grandeur through his characteristic symmetrical composition and attention to architectural detail.

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