The Ghosts of Versailles is an opera in two acts, with music by John Corigliano to an English libretto by William M. Hoffman. The Metropolitan Opera had commissioned the work from Corigliano in 1980 in celebration of its 100th anniversary, with the premiere scheduled for 1983. Corigliano and Hoffman took as the starting point for the opera the play La Mère coupable (The Guilty Mother) by Pierre Beaumarchais. They took seven years to complete the opera, past the initial deadline. The opera received its premiere on December 19, 1991, at the Metropolitan Opera, with the production directed by Colin Graham. The premiere run of seven performances was sold out. The original cast included Teresa Stratas, Håkan Hagegård, Renée Fleming, Graham Clark, Gino Quilico, and Marilyn Horne. The Metropolitan Opera revived the opera in the 1994/1995 season.

Corigliano considers this work a "grand opera buffa" because it incorporates both elements of the Grand Opera style (large chorus numbers, special effects) and the silliness of the opera buffa style. Commentators have noted how the opera satirises and parodies accepted operatic conventions.

Lyric Opera of Chicago staged the opera in the 1995/1996 season in the first performances outside of the Metropolitan Opera, in a lightly revised version that cut some expensive aspects of the Met's production, including an onstage orchestra.

In 2008, on Corigliano's recommendation, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) and Wexford Festival Opera in Ireland engaged composer John David Earnest to rework the score for chamber orchestra — in order to make it suitable for performances in small houses. The World and European première performances of this version took place the following year with co-productions at OTSL and Wexford Festival Opera respectively.

The opera was supposed to be revived at the Metropolitan Opera in 2010. General Manager Peter Gelb had already invited Kristin Chenoweth to play the part of Samira. However, the production was canceled in 2008 because the weakened US economy at the times required the cutting of costs instead of launching an expensive production like this.