Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne
theatre in Compiègne, France
The Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne is a theater in Compiègne, France.
Origins
The Emperor Napoleon III decided to construct a theater in Compiègne to entertain his court in 1866.
He chose the location and the architect of the building, Gabriel-Auguste Ancelet.
Work began in 1867 and went well until the outbreak of the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.
The Battle of Sedan ruined the Empire and eliminated the possibility of completing the building on schedule.
The walls were built, but the project for decorating the theater was suspended.
The sculptures by Gustave Crauck were made on time, but the ceiling, which was to include paintings by Élie Delaunay, remained bare.
Reconstruction
In 1987 the association for the Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne was created by Pierre Jourdan, who led the restoration program and the collection of funds to restore the building and make it a mecca for the operatic stage.
A team of project managers and architects including Renaud Bardon started work in 1990 to complete the building, while another association under Pierre Jourdan was responsible for programming shows.
The theater was officially opened in September 1991 with the opera Henry VIII by Camille Saint-Saëns.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne” is theatre in Compiègne, France. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Théâtre, Impérial and Compiègne, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “theatre in Compiègne, France” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3527845. VIAF identifies the subject as 135589890. The Library of Congress control number is no2006068456. Authority coordinates are 49.420, 2.830. 2 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1866, 1867, 1870 and 1987.
Rights, attribution and provenance may remain disputed even when a general reference summary presents a stable account. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
- Finding collection records
The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne primary sources, Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne archive and Théâtre research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne”?
- How did later circulation or interpretation alter the work’s reception?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.