Barrière de Chartres, Historical monument in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France

Barrière de Chartres is a round stone pavilion at the entrance to Parc Monceau on Place de la République-Dominicaine. Built by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux in 1787, it is a small temple-like rotunda ringed by sixteen smooth-shafted columns and topped by a dome, with a spire added in 1861. Wrought-iron gates flank it.

Claude-Nicolas Ledoux built the rotunda between 1787 and 1790 for the wall of the Fermiers généraux, the toll ring around Paris. It stood on the Duke of Orléans's private Folie de Chartres estate, off the roads, and served as an observation pavilion rather than a tollgate. After 1859 most of the wall's pavilions were demolished; this one survived and was incorporated into the new Parc Monceau. Gabriel Davioud rebuilt its dome and added a tall spire in 1860–1861, and it was listed as a monument historique on 24 April 1907.

The name of this spot comes from the old road leading toward the city of Chartres, a route once marked by this very gate. Today, passersby often notice its quiet presence at the edge of Parc Monceau, where joggers and families move around a piece of the old city boundary.

You can see the structure from the sidewalk while walking around the Place de la République-Dominicaine, without needing to enter any building. A gentle stroll through the nearby park makes it easy to combine a look at the rotunda with a break on a bench.

The rotunda was not a toll point at all: it stood on the duke's private land, away from the roads, and served "for observing the countryside". The real barrière de Monceau, where three clerks collected the tax, stood 600 metres east on the city road and was demolished after 1859.