[5][6] The name of this site—La Monnaie (originally spelled La Monnoye[1]) in French or De Munt in Dutch (both meaning "The Mint")—remained attached to the theatre for the centuries to come.

[9][4] The exact date of the first performance in 1700 remains unknown, but the first showing mentioned in the local newspapers was Jean-Baptiste Lully's Atys, which was given on 19 November 1700.

During this period, many famous French actors and singers gave regular performances in the theatre whilst touring the country's provinces.

[15][16] While this also gave it a monumental appearance, the main concern was safety: the building was now more accessible to firemen, and the chance of any fire spreading was reduced.

The new auditorium was inaugurated on 25 May 1819 with the opera La Caravane du Caire by the composer André Ernest Modeste Grétry.

[17] As the most important French theatre of the newly established United Kingdom of the Netherlands, La Monnaie had national and international significance.

Daniel Auber's opera La Muette de Portici was scheduled in August 1830 after it had been banned from the stage by King William I of the Netherlands, fearing its inciting content.

At a performance of this opera on the evening of 25 August 1830, a riot broke out, which became the signal for the Belgian Revolution that ultimately led to the country's independence.

[19][20][8] Damesme's building continued to serve for more than two decades as Belgium's principal theatre and opera house until it burnt to the ground on 21 January 1855, leaving only the outside walls and portico.

[22] The original dome painting, representing Belgium Protecting the Arts,[21] was produced in the Parisian workshop of François-Joseph Nolau and Auguste Alfred Rubé, two famous decorators of the Paris Opera House.

[12] Features such as raising the roofline by 4 metres (13 ft) and scooping out the stage building area—in addition to creating a steel frame to strengthen the load-bearing walls and increasing backstage space—characterised this two-year project.

He asked two American artists to make a contribution: Sol LeWitt designed a fan-shaped floor in black and white marble, while Sam Francis painted an abstract triptych mounted to the ceiling.

[24] In 1998, the major part of the vacant Vanderborght department store building (c. 20,000 m2 (220,000 sq ft)) and a neoclassical mansion, both situated directly behind the opera house, were acquired by La Monnaie.

The edifices were renovated and adapted to house La Monnaie's technical and administrative facilities, previously spread all over the city.

[26] The opera house was renovated again from May 2015 to September 2017: the stage was levelled, a new fly system was put in place, and two scene lifts were installed.

In June 2023, the company announced the appointment of Christina Scheppelmann as its next General Director, effective 1 July 2025, with an initial contract of six years.

During the late 19th century, important French composers such as Jules Massenet and Vincent d'Indy directed the world premieres of some of their operas at this theatre.

The high musical quality of renditions was maintained under Corneil de Thoran between the two World Wars, but diminished gradually from the 1950s onwards.

[32] However, in April 2008, La Monnaie announced that Wigglesworth would not take up the position of Music Director, after reports of opposition to him from the orchestra.

Several members of the Petipa family left their mark in Brussels in the 19th century, but the enthusiasm of the public for traditional ballet performances diminished in the 1950s.