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Origin and history

The former Comedy of Avignon, inaugurated in 1732, is an Italian theatre designed by architect Thomas Lainée on Place Crillon (then Place de l'Oulle). The first Avignon building specifically dedicated to shows, it replaced the palm games rooms used until then. Its construction was financed by a noble shareholder company, including the Camaret families, Puget-Barbentane and the Duke of Crillon, after the collapse of a temporary theatre in 1732.

The theatre operated from 1734 to 1824, welcoming French and Italian comedy. Its façade, classified as a historic monument in 1931, is decorated with ionic pilasters, a triangular pediment with a Apollo head, and decorative vases. Luxurious lodges were reserved for dignitaries such as the vice-legate or the inquisitor. The Duke of Ormond, a shareholder, described him as "the prettiest room in France", attracting troops for six months a year.

Closed in 1825 after the inauguration of the Opera Square in the Clock, the building became a private property. Since 2022, it has been home to a designer shop, Family 3.0. The only vestige of the original building was restored in 1978-1979. The theatre symbolizes the emergence of a cultural life organized in Avignon, then under pontifical and aristocratic influence.

Before its construction, Avignon lacked a permanent hall: representations took place in palm games, like that of the rue de la Bouquerie, collapsed in 1732. This project reflected the enthusiasm of the elites for theatre, which was then a vector of social prestige. Shareholders, including noble foreigners like Lord Inverness, illustrate the cosmopolitan opening of the city, a crossroads between Provence and pontifical states.

The architecture of Thomas Lainée, inspired by Parisian models, marked a break with precarious installations. The theatre became a place of worldly sociability, where local aristocrats and travellers crossed. Its closure in 1824 coincided with the rise of opera, reflecting the evolution of tastes towards larger and more versatile rooms.

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