The Opera House in Odessa

The Opera House in Odessa is a city landmark.

Opera House events at the Odessa theater include concert performances, as well as, opera and ballet. Officially opened in 1810, the grand opera house in Odessa stands at the crossroads of history.

The Odessa Opera House is a true landmark in the Ukrainian city of Odessa. For the visitor to the city, an opera house tour to view the opera house inside – is highly recommended. Interestingly, the Odessa Opera House is encircled by historically significant sites. Below are some of the highlights of the streets surrounding the Odessa opera theatre.

Discover the Opera House in Odessa:

The Odessa Opera House Façade Faces Langeron Street

The façade (or front) of the Opera House in Odessa faces Langeron Street (in Ukrainian = Ланжеронівська; English transliteration = Lanzheronivska).

Langeron Street Outside the Opera House in Odessa, Ukraine

Who was Langeron?

• born in Paris (January 24, 1763)
• a royalist, who enlisted in the army of the Kingdom of France (987-1792)
• after the start of the French Revolution (1789), became an officer of the Russian Imperial Army (1790)
• achieved rank of Major General (1797) and Lieutenant General (1798)
• appointed Governor of Odessa (1816-1820)
• died during a cholera epidemic (July 16, 1831)
• buried in the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in Odessa

But, perhaps Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron's (1763-1831) greatest claim to fame is that it was his initiative that established the Richelieu Lyceum in Odessa in 1817.

Louis de Langeron (1763-1831) – Governor of Odessa (1816-1820)

During Langeron's tenure as Governor of the City of Odessa, French was spoken by the political and diplomatic elite of Odessa. As a result, the language of instruction at the Richelieu Lyceum was also French. The 8 year program concentrated on a classical education: grammar, rhetoric, philosophy and mathematics. The school building was located on the corner of present-day Langeron and de Ribas Streets. In time, the Richelieu Lycem was reorganized into an institution of higher education and formed the basis for what today is the Odessa National University.

Today, the Opera House Theatre in Odessa stands on Langeron Street.

But, why was the Lyceum named Richelieu?

The Opera House in Odessa Overlooks Richelieu Street

Today, the Opera House Theatre in Odessa faces Richelieu Street.

If you walk down Richelieu Street (in Ukrainian = Рішельєвська; English transliteration – Richelievska), you will see the front-view of the Odessa Opera House in all its glory. (By the way, you have to walk – you can't drive towards the Opera House because Richelieu Street is a one-way – in the opposite direction.)

Richelieu Street Outside the Opera House in Odessa, Ukraine

Who was Richelieu?

• born in Paris (September 25, 1766)
• entered the Queen Marie Antoinette's Regiment of Dragoons (1785)
• during the storming of the Versailles Palace (1789) disguised himself as an artisan, entered the palace and convinced Marie Antoinette to flee
• together with Langeron (see above) , joined the Russian Imperial Army (1790)
• inherited the title of Duc de Richelieu upon the death of his father (1791)
• appointed Governor of Odessa (1803-1814)
• returned to France as a peer within the Bourbon Restoration (1814-1830)
• appointed Prime Minister of France (September 26, 1815-December 29, 1818 and February 20, 1820-December 14, 1821), a position previously held by his great-great uncle, Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642)
  *died in Paris (May 17, 1822)

Armand-Emmanual-Sophie-Septimanie de Vignerot du Plessis, duc de Richelieu (1766-1822) is remember and honoured with pride by the people of Odessa.

…de Richelieu had broad knowledge of economics and diplomacy…a fervent advocate of the beneficial role of trade for a nation's well-being…. Under his administration a discount bank, exchange, insurance company, customs district, quarantine facility, and commerial court were established….
Yana Volkova (a new window will open), 2018:277

But, why was the Richelieu Lycem named after him?

Because in 1803, during Richelieu's tenure as Governor of Odessa, he received royal permission to establish locally funded and administered educational institutions in Odessa. Due to his extensive contacts, Richelieu took advantage of the newly created Ministry of Education (a new window will open) – a.k.a. Ministry of National Englightment (1802) and the subsequent enactement of the «National Educational Statutes» (1803). In 1804, two educational institutions were founded in Odessa, which later merged into the Richelieu Lyceum (1817).

Duc de Richelieu (1766-1822) – Governor of Odessa (1803-1814)

But, who actually founded the City of Odessa?

The Best View of the Odessa Opera House from de Ribas and Richelieu

The best view of the Opera House in Odessa is at the crossroads of de Ribas Street (in Ukrainian = Дерибасівська; English transliteration = Derнbasivska) and Richelieu Street (in Ukrainian = Рішельєвська; English transliteration = Rishelievska).

The Opera House in Odessa is at the Crossroads of de Ribas and Richelieu

Who was de Ribas?

• of Spanish descent
• born in Naples, present-day Italy (July 6, 1749)
• father was a consular representative of the Kingdom of Spain to the Kingdom of Naples (1282-1816)
• became an officer in the Russian Imperial Army (1772)
• initiated the establishment of the port city of Odessa, which came to be by royal decree of Catherine II of the Russian Empire (May 27, 1794)
• appointed the first Governor of Odessa (1794-1797)
• promoted to Admiral of the Russian Imperial Navy (1796)
• died and was buried in St.Petersburg (2/14 December, 1800)

Today, few people in Odessa seem to know much about José Pascual Domingo de Ribas y Boyons (1749-1800). However, ever since de Ribas Street was partly transformed into a pedestrian walkway, it has become a great favourite for both locals and tourists.

José de Ribas (1749-1800) – Governor of Odessa (1794-1797)

What other famous people are associated with the Opera House in Odessa?

The Opera House in Odessa is on Tchaikovsky Lane

The main service entrance (a.k.a. stage door) to the Opera House in Odessa is on Tchaikovsky Lane (in Ukrainian = Чайковського; English transliteration = Chaikovs'koho).

The service entrance is at the back of the opera house. Ironically, few visitors to the opera house in Odessa will ever see it. But, if you do a map search, you will find that the Opera House in Odessa's address is 1 Tchaikovsky Lane (transliterated from Ukrainian = Chaikovs'koho Ln, 1).

José de Ribas (1749-1800), Lous de Langeron (1763-1831) and Duc de Richelieu (1766-1822) were political personalities of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. On the other hand,

Who was Tchaikovsky?

• born into a family of Ukrainian Kozak nobility (May 7, 1840)
• composed first symphonic piece – an overture for Aleksandr Ostrovsky’s (1823-1886) drama The Storm, while vacationing in Trostianets, present day Sumy Oblast, Ukraine (1864)
• composed Symphony №4, which by many critics is considered to be his best symphony (1877-1878)
• premiere of final opera Iolanthe (1892)
• visited and performed as conductor of his works in Odessa (January, 1893)
• died in St.Petersburg (16/28 October, 1893)

Pyotr Illich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) of Ukrainian Descent

This is interesting! But, are there any performances at the Opera House in Odessa?

Performance at the Opera House in Odessa

The video clip above is from the 210th Opera Season Opening (August 1, 2019) at the Opera House Odessa. Myron Yusypovych conducts Act 2 of the opera Aida by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901).

So, when we say that the Opera House in Odessa stands at the crossroads, we mean it literally. The Opera House in Odessa stands between Tchaikovsky Lane and Langeron Street, while facing Richelieu Street and de Ribas Street. Each of these personalities contribute to the development of the City of Odessa – and, hence the Opera House Theatre.

The Opera House in Odessa view from Richelieu and de Ribas

text by: Oksana A. Wynnyckyj-Yusypovych

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