Paris in the 18th century the Marquis de Lafayette organized a "Garde nationale" to defend the city against the army. On 14 July, a mob seized the arsenal at the Invalides, acquiring thousands of guns, and stormed the Bastille, a symbol of royal authority, a prison which at the time held only seven prisoners, and was defended by eighty invalid soldiers, reinforced by thirty-six Swiss guards. About forty Revolutionaries were killed in the fighting. The governor of the Bastille, the Marquis de Launay, surrendered and then was killed, and his head put on the end of a pike and carried around Paris. The Provost of
Opéra Bastille Opéra Bastille The Opéra Bastille ( ) (Bastille Opera House) is a modern opera house in Paris, France. Inaugurated in 1989 as part of President François Mitterrand’s “"Grands Travaux"”, it became the main facility of the Paris National Opera, France's principal opera company, alongside the older Palais Garnier; most opera performances are shown at the Bastille along with some ballet performances and symphony concerts, while Palais Garnier presents a mix of opera and ballet performances. Designed by Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott, it is located at the Place de la Bastille, in the 11th arrondissement; it seats 2,723 people in total,