The Fenice Theater, Venice, with figures in the foreground

The Fenice Theater was begun by the architect Gianantonio Selva (1753-1816) in June 1790 and finished in April 1792. The company who had commissioned the new building christened it La Fenice (The Phoenix), a reference both to the rebirth of the company itself after its near extinction and to the previous building which had burnt down. The new Fenice lived up to its name, burning down in December 1836 and again in January 1996, being restored each time.