Opera house as wealthy patrons and it continues to have a large number of working opera houses such as Teatro Massimo in Palermo (the biggest in Italy), Teatro di San Carlo in Naples (the world's oldest working opera house) and Teatro La Scala in Milan. In contrast, there was no opera house in London when Henry Purcell was composing and the first opera house in Germany was built in Hamburg in 1678. In the 17th and 18th centuries, opera houses were often financed by rulers, nobles, and wealthy people who used patronage of the arts to endorse their political ambition and social
Cork Opera House it was not until 1963 that the Opera House was rebuilt fully and opened. In 2003, large scale renovation works were completed on both the facade of the building and the surrounding Emmett Place. Built, according to its original architect Sir John Benson, for the "promotion of science, literature and the fine arts, and the diffusion of architectural knowledge," the Opera House has always housed more than just Opera. Performances of all types are a part of its history and current repertoire. Emmett Place is linked to St Patrick's Street via Opera Lane, which replaced the former Faulkner's Lane, allowing