Monceau Park Rotunda

The name Chartres Rotunda refers to Foley de Chartres, the name of the bizarre country estate of the Duke of Chartres Louis Philippe , who was here a rich representative of the younger line of the Bourbons , who bore this title in 1752-1785, who was here before the revolution . It is believed that in this way the architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux showed gallantry to the owner of the land on which the pavilion was built. When in the XIX century, after the restoration of the monarchy, the estate was returned to the heirs of Philip Egalite, the park was again called "Chartres", so, perhaps, this name appeared later in the rotunda.

Another common name for the building, “Barrier of the [Chartres] rotunda”, is not quite correct, since this pavilion was not a barrier, that is, a point intended for collecting customs duties at the entrance to Paris. It was located on private land, away from the roads, and was intended "to view the terrain." The real “Monceau Barrier”, where three employees collected tax from people traveling, stood on the city road 600 m to the east and was demolished after 1859. Another barrier, de Courcelles, was a little to the west; he was demolished at the same time.

The rotunda in the middle of the English park of the estate of the Duke of Orleans "Foley de Chartres" was built by the architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux in 1787-1790. Built in the form of a small antique tholos temple, surrounded by a gallery of canned Doric columns , it is one of the so-called “Ledoux propylaea ”.

Ledoux was responsible for the construction of numerous buildings of the new city wall of general farmers , erected around Paris in 1784-1790 and intended to collect customs duties . The site along the northern tip of the ducal park was completed in 1787. The pavilion, located on the territory of the park, away from the barriers, was intended "to view the terrain": the planners' office occupied the first floor of this small building, and the duke could admire the surrounding landscapes from the premises of the second floor. However, he did not have to enjoy the views for long - after the revolution, with the outbreak of terror in 1793, Philip Egalite was executed, and his estate was requisitioned.

After 1859, during the global reconstruction of Paris , most of the structures of the walls of the farmers were demolished: Of the more than 50 pavilions, only four were preserved. The rotunda, standing on the edge of the remaining undeveloped site of the former ducal estate, was included in the newly organized city public park - Monceau Park . In the years 1860-1861, as part of his landscaping, the architect reconstructed the building by rebuilding the dome and adding a tall spire to it. On both sides of the rotunda there appeared openwork forged gates intended for entering the park with gilding; through the propylaea of ​​the portico of the rotunda itself, the rows of the fence were passed from the outer, city side. Previously, graceful lights were hung in between the columns; to our time they have disappeared.

On April 24, 1907, the rotunda of Monceau Park was included in the register of historical monuments of France ^[2] .