The Palace of Tau is located near Reims Cathedral. It is connected to the Cathedral by a passage that was used by French monarchs during the coronation ceremony. In the Palace of Tau, the French kings prepared for the coronation, and after the ceremony, banquets were held here for guests invited to the coronation.
In Roman times, there was a large Villa on this site. Perhaps there were Roman baths nearby, as during excavations in the underground rooms of the Cathedral, a font was found. Later, the Roman Villa became one of the palaces of the kings of the Carolingian dynasty, and then the residence of the archbishops of Reims. The layout of the Palace resembles the Greek letter "Tau". That is why the Palace got its name: Palais Tau.
The oldest buildings of the Palace of Tau that have survived to this day date back to 1207. This part of the Palace is called the Palatine Chapel. The building of the Palace itself was rebuilt in the period 1498-1509 in the Gothic style. Some halls in the Tau Palace and basements have preserved the appearance of the Gothic style. The main buildings that have survived to this day were made in 1671-1710 in the Baroque architectural style. The Palace of Tau in Reims was badly damaged during the World War I, and it was only restored after the end of the World War II.
In usual times, the Palace of Tau served as the residence of the Archbishops of Reims, but the main events here took place during the coronation of the French kings. The Tau Palace and the Cathedral of Reims were the whole of this ceremony. Kings came to the Palace and began to prepare for the coronation. They were dressed in coronation robes, and then they passed through a special passage to the Cathedral of Reims. After the coronation ceremony in the Cathedral, banquets for invited guests were held in the Palace. The last king of France to be crowned at Reims in 1824 was Charles X. After him, there were no monarchs in France.
The Palace of Tau is a UNESCO world heritage site, as is the Cathedral of Reims and the Basilica of Saint Remigius. Now there is an interesting Museum dedicated to the coronation ceremony of the French kings. In the large Banquet hall, you can view a collection of valuable French tapestries from the 15th century. They depict scenes from the series "the Story of the powerful king Clovis". In several halls, there are original sculptures from Cathedral Notre-Dame of Reims. Of particular interest is the Cathedral Sacristy Museum, where you can see the coronation regalia of French kings, as well as crowns. There are also Church utensils necessary for the coronation ceremony.
The Palace also houses the Cup of Saint Remigius (12th century) and the Talisman of Charlemagne (9th century). There are also fragments of the Holy Ampoule, where there was myrrh that was used to baptize the king Clovis. The Holy Ampoule was kept in the Basilica of Saint Remigius, but in 1793, during the French revolution, a member of the Convention, Ruhl, publicly broke it in the square in Reims. They wanted to show that there would be no more kings in France. Later its fragments were collected, and now they are stored in the Palace of Tau.
