Opéra National de Bordeaux - Grand-Théâtre

Twelve massive Corinthian columns support the portico of the Grand-Théâtre, topped by statues of nine muses and three goddesses. Victor Louis designed this structure in the seventeen seventies, stripping away the cramped, flammable wooden stages that once hosted Bordeaux’s theater. When the building opened, Louis insisted on a controversial internal staircase that mirrors the one in the Palace of Versailles. He died in obscurity, but his theater remained, anchored by the stone muses that overlook the Place de la Comédie.