The theatre of Gio-Paolo Bombarda (1700–1818) The first permanent public theatre for
opera performances of the court and
City of Brussels was built between 1695 and 1700 by the
Venetian architects Paolo and Pietro Bezzi, as part of a rebuilding plan following the
bombardment of Brussels of 1695 by the French army. It was erected on the site of a building that had served to
mint coins. The name of this site—
La Monnaie (originally spelled
La Monnoye) in French or
De Munt in Dutch (both meaning "The Mint")—remained attached to the theatre for the centuries to come. The construction of the theatre had been ordered by
Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, at that time
Governor of the Habsburg Netherlands. The Elector had charged his
treasurer and architect, the Italian
Gio Paolo Bombarda, with the task of financing and supervising the enterprise. The exact date of the first performance in 1700 remains unknown, but the first showing mentioned in the local newspapers was
Jean-Baptiste Lully's
Atys, which was given on 19 November 1700. The
French operatic repertoire would dominate the Brussels stage throughout the following century, though performances of
Venetian operas and other non-French repertoire were also performed on a regular basis. Until the middle of the 19th century, plays were performed along with opera,
ballet and concerts. By the 18th century, La Monnaie was considered the second French-speaking stage after the most prominent theatres in Paris. Under the rule of
Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, who acted as a very generous patron of the arts, the theatre greatly flourished. At that time, it housed an opera company, a ballet and an
orchestra. The splendour of the performances diminished during the last years of Austrian rule, due to the severe politics of Emperor
Joseph II. After 1795, when the
French Revolutionary forces occupied the Belgian provinces, the theatre became a French departmental institution. Amongst other cuts in its expenses, the theatre had to abolish its
Corps de Ballet. During this period, many famous French actors and singers gave regular performances in the theatre whilst touring the country's provinces. Then-consul
Napoleon, visiting Brussels, judged the old theatre too dilapidated for one of the most prestigious cities of his future Empire. He ordered plans to replace the old building with a new and more monumental edifice, but these plans would only be carried out and Bombarda's building demolished in 1818, under the auspices of the new
United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The theatre of Louis Damesme (1819–1855) The new theatre was a
neoclassical building designed by the French architect
Louis Damesme. Unlike Bombarda's building, which was situated along the street and completely surrounded by other buildings, the new theatre was placed in the middle of a newly constructed square. While this also gave it a monumental appearance, the main concern was safety: the building was now more accessible to firemen, and the chance of any fire spreading was reduced. The new auditorium was inaugurated on 25 May 1819 with the opera
La Caravane du Caire by the composer
André Ernest Modeste Grétry. As the most important French theatre of the newly established United Kingdom of the Netherlands, La Monnaie had national and international significance. The theatre came under the supervision of the City of Brussels, which had the right to appoint a director charged with its management. In this period, famous actors like
François-Joseph Talma and singers like
Maria Malibran performed at La Monnaie. The
Corps de Ballet was reintroduced and came under the supervision of the dancer and choreographer
Jean-Antoine Petipa, father of the famous
Marius Petipa. La Monnaie would play a prominent role in the formation of the
Kingdom of Belgium.
Daniel Auber's opera
La Muette de Portici was scheduled in August 1830 after it had been banned from the stage by King
William I of the Netherlands, fearing its inciting content. At a performance of this opera on the evening of 25 August 1830, a riot broke out, which became the signal for the
Belgian Revolution that ultimately led to the country's independence. Damesme's building continued to serve for more than two decades as Belgium's principal theatre and opera house until it burnt to the ground on 21 January 1855, leaving only the outside walls and
portico. ''
The theatre of Joseph Poelaert (1856–present) After the fire of January 1855, the theatre was reconstructed after the designs of
Joseph Poelaert within a period of fourteen months. The
auditorium (with 1,200 seats) and the
foyer were decorated in a then-popular
eclectic style, a mixture of
neo-Baroque,
neo-Rococo and
neo-Renaissance styles. The lavish decoration made excessive use of gilded
carton-pierre decorations and sculptures, red
velvet and
brocade. The auditorium was lit by a huge crystal chandelier made of gilded bronze and Venetian crystals, which still hangs in the centre of the domed ceiling today. The new
Théâtre royal de la Monnaie opened on 28 March 1856 with
Fromental Halévy's ''
Jaguarita l'Indienne''. The original dome painting, representing
Belgium Protecting the Arts, was produced in the Parisian workshop of François-Joseph Nolau and
Auguste Alfred Rubé, two famous decorators of the
Paris Opera House. In 1887, this dome painting was completely repainted by Rubé himself and his new associate Philippe-Marie Chaperon, because it was mostly tainted by emissions from the chandelier. This dome painting stayed untouched until 1985, when it was taken down during extensive rebuilding activities and replaced by a bad copy, painted by the painter Xavier Crolls. From 1988 until 1998, the dome painting of Rubé and Chaperon was in restoration, until its final reinstatement in 1999. In 1998, the major part of the vacant Vanderborght
department store building () and a neoclassical mansion, both situated directly behind the opera house, were acquired by La Monnaie. The edifices were renovated and adapted to house La Monnaie's technical and administrative facilities, previously spread all over the city.
La Monnaie in the 21st century In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, La Monnaie has reclaimed its place amongst the foremost opera houses in Europe thanks to the efforts of the successive directors
Gerard Mortier and
Bernard Foccroulle and Music Directors
Sylvain Cambreling and
Antonio Pappano. ==Directors==