Despite the fact that at the end of the 17th century there were 18 theatres in Venice, this one immediately won a place of primary interest for the Venetian public, being "the largest, most beautiful and richest in the city" (J. C. de Cramailles, 1683). Following the French occupation of Venice, it was one of the few theatres in Venice that did not have to be closed. In 1819 it was sold to Giovanni Gallo, who restored it in 1834, first renaming it Teatro Emeronittio (since it was opened both during the day and at night) and renaming it a second time in 1835, Teatro Malibran, as a sign of gratitude to Maria Malibran, the great singer who, on April 8th of that year, had interpreted La Sonnambula (The Sleepwalker) in this very theatre, renouncing her remuneration. In 1849, with the return of the Austrians to Venice, after the famous resistance of the lagoon city which lasted almost a year, all the major theatres of the Veneto closed in protest, except the Malibran. After countless closures and reopenings, in 1992 the Municipality of Venice bought the theatre restored and expanded it, and returned the theatre to activity, recently becoming the second seat of the Fenice Opera House (after the reopening in 2001).