The Cirque Olympique in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, also known as the Cirque Franconi, was an equestrian theatre company, founded in 1782 by

Philip Astley Philip Astley (8 January 1742 – 20 October 1814) was an English equestrian, circus owner, and inventor, regarded as being the " father of the modern circus". Modern circus, as an integrated entertainment experience that includes music, domest ...

, the English inventor of the modern

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

ring, and was initially known as the Cirque d'Astley or the Cirque Anglais.

Amphithéâtre Anglais

Astley's theatre, the Amphithéâtre Anglais or Amphithéâtre d'Astley, was the first purpose-built

building in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. It was located on a large site in the rue du Faubourg du

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

and was a round theatre constructed in wood, with two seating levels and lit by 2,000 candles. The theatre was open four months out of the year and featured equestrian performances interspersed with juggling and other acts.

Cirque Franconi

Astley leased his Parisian circus to Antonio Franconi in 1793, during the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. Because of the small size of Astley's theatre, Franconi moved the circus to the enclosure of the former Convent of the Capucines, where he constructed stables and a new theatre.Wild 1989, pp. 79–80.

Cirque Olympique

In 1807 Franconi ceded his enterprise to his two sons, Laurent and Henri, who renamed it the Cirque Olympique. With the construction of the rue Napoléon that same year, they were obliged to move again, to a new theatre between the rue du Mont-Thabor and the

rue Saint-Honoré The rue Saint-Honoré is a street in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. It is named after the collegial situated in ancient times within the cloisters of Saint-Honoré. The street, on which are located a number of museums and upscale bou ...

. It was leased to them by Francois Delpont and opened on 28 December 1807. The Franconi brothers were forced to close this theatre on 27 May 1816, due to the planned construction of the public treasury at this location. File:Cirque du Mont Thabor on 1814 map of Paris - U of Chicago.jpg, "Cirque Olympique de Franconi" on an 1814 map File:Cirque du Mont Thabor - Plan - Donnet 1821 plate15 GB-Ghent.jpg, Plan of the Cirque du Mont Thabor File:Cirque du Mont Thabor - Coupe sur la longueur - Donnet 1821 plate15 GB-Ghent.jpg, Long section of the Cirque du Mont Thabor

Return to Astley's theatre

The two brothers decided to return to Astley's old theatre on the rue du Faubourg du

, making extensive additions and alterations to the theatre and its site and renaming it the Cirque Olympique. They inaugurated the new theatre on 8 February 1817. On the night of 15 March 1826, after a performance of the one-act melodrama ''L'incendie de Salins'', featuring a ''grand spectacle'' recreating the dramatic fire at

Salins-les-Bains Salins-les-Bains (), commonly referred to simply as Salins, is a commune in the Jura department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. It is located on the departmental border with Doubs, 34.8 km (21.6 mi) to the south-southw ...

of 27 July 1825,Joanne, Adolphe, ''Itinéraire général de la France: De Paris à la Méditerranée'', 1863, Part I, ''s.v.'' Route 88 Salins, p. 307. the pyrotechnical effects sparked a genuine fire that burned the theatre to the ground. File:Cirque Faubourg du Temple - Élévation - Kaufmann 1837 plate15 GB-Princeton.jpg, Entrance facade File:Cirque Faubourg du Temple - Vue intérieure - Kaufmann 1837 plate15 GB-Princeton.jpg, Interior File:Cirque Faubourg du Temple - Plan - Kaufmann 1837 plate15 GB-Princeton.jpg, Plan File:Cirque Faubourg du Temple - Coupe sur la longueur - Kaufmann 1837 plate15 GB-Princeton.jpg, Long section

Cirque Olympique on the Boulevard du Temple

After the fire which destroyed the Cirque Olympique on the rue Faubourg du Temple, the brothers Franconi moved again, this time to the

boulevard du Temple The Boulevard du Temple, formerly nicknamed the "Boulevard du Crime", is a thoroughfare in Paris that separates the 3rd arrondissement from the 11th. It runs from the Place de la République to the Place Pasdeloup, and its name refers to the ne ...

, where they built yet another theatre, also known as the Cirque Olympique. The new theatre, built to the designs of the French architect

Alexandre Bourla Alexandre may refer to: * Alexandre (given name) * Alexandre (surname) * Alexandre (film) See also * Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom o ...

, was inaugurated on 21 March 1827. It was remodeled in 1847 by the architect for the use of the

Opéra-National The Opéra-National was a Parisian opera company that the French composer Adolphe Adam founded in 1847 to provide an alternative to the two primary French opera companies in Paris, the Opéra and the Opéra-Comique. The goals of the new compan ...

, which occupied it from 18 June 1844 to 1847. Thereafter it was known as the Théâtre National until 4 July 1853, when it became the Théâtre du Cirque Impérial. The theatre was demolished in 1862 for an urban renewal project, and the director at that time, Hippolyte Hostein, moved the circus to the

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

References

Notes Sources *''Almanach du voyageur à Paris et dans les lieux les plus remarquables du royaume''. Paris: Hardouin, 1787. Pg 219
Early description of the theatre- available online at the BNF
*''Architectonographie des théâtres de Paris, ou Parallèle historique et critique de ces édifices considérés sous le rapport de l'architecture et de la décoration''. Paris : impr. de P. Didot l'aîné: Orgiazzi, 1821. pp 223–226
Extensive description of the theatre and later alterations- available online at the BNF
*Tristan Remy. ''Les Clowns''. Paris: Grasset, 2002

* Wild, Nicole (1989). ''Dictionnaire des théâtres parisiens au XIXe siècle: les théâtres et la musique''. Paris: Aux Amateurs de livres. . (paperback)
View formats and editions
at

WorldCat WorldCat is a union catalog that itemizes the collections of tens of thousands of institutions (mostly libraries), in many countries, that are current or past members of the OCLC global cooperative. It is operated by OCLC, Inc. Many of the O ...

. *Charles Hervey. ''The Theatres of Paris'

*''Galignani's New Guide of Paris'

External links

Circus history timeline from Miami University
{{Authority control Circuses in Paris 18th century in Paris Former buildings and structures in Paris 19th century in Paris Theatres completed in 1782 Buildings and structures demolished in 1826 Defunct entertainment venues Burned buildings and structures in France Event venues established in 1782 1782 establishments in France 1826 disestablishments in France Demolished buildings and structures in Paris