L'ancêtre

{{Short description|French opera}}

{{Infobox opera

| name = {{lang|fr|L'ancêtre}}

| genre = {{lang|fr|drame lyrique}}

| composer = Camille Saint-Saëns

| image = Saintsaens.jpg

| caption = Saint-Saëns circa 1895

| librettist = Lucien Augé de Lassus

| language = French

| based_on =

| premiere_date =

| premiere_location = {{lang|fr|Opéra de Monte-Carlo}}

}}

L'ancêtre ("The Ancestor") is a 1905 {{lang|fr|drame lyrique}} in 3 acts by Camille Saint-Saëns to a libretto by Lucien Augé de Lassus (1841-1914).Ratner, Sabina Teller. Camille Saint-Saëns, 1835-1921: A Thematic Catalogue of His Complete Works. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 2002. 0198163207

The opera premiered at the {{lang|fr|Opéra de Monte-Carlo}} on February 24, 1906, and was directed by Raoul Gunsbourg and conducted by Léon Jehin.Saint-Saëns, Camille. L'ancêtre. vocal score title page. Paris: Durand et Fils, 1906. Celebrated soprano Geraldine Farrar created the role of Margarita.Nash, Elizabeth. Geraldine Farrar: Opera's Charismatic Innovator. 2nd. ed. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2012. 9780786470679 The vocal score, published in 1906 by Durand et Fils of Paris has a dedication to Albert I, Prince of Monaco.Saint-Saëns, Camille. L'ancêtre. vocal score title page. Paris: Durand et Fils, 1906.

The plot is set during the First French Empire in Corsica, which composer and librettist visited together, looking for local colour.