After the siege the building fell into the hands
of the Commune and the roof was turned into a balloon station.
The damage done, however, was slight.
"The fine stone employed in the construction was brought from
quarries in Sweden, Scotland, Italy, Algeria, Finland, Spain,
Belgium and France. While work on the exterior was in progress,
the building was covered in by a wooden shell, rendered transparent
by thousands of small panes of glass. In 1867 a swarm of men,
supplied with hammers and axes, stripped the house of its habit,
and showed in all its splendor the great structure. No picture can
do justice to the rich colors of the edifice or to the harmonious
tone resulting from the skilful use of many diverse materials.
The effect of the frontage is completed by the cupola of the auditorium,
topped with a cap of bronze sparingly adorned with gilding.
Farther on, on a level with the towers of Notre-Dame, is the gable
end of the roof of the stage, a `Pegasus', by M. Lequesne,
rising at either end of the roof, and a bronze group by M. Millet,
representing `Apollo lifting his golden lyre', commanding the apex.
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