Palace To

Palais du Tau ( Palais du Tau ) is a palace in the French city ​​of Reims , the historical residence of the archbishops of Reims . The history of the palace is inextricably linked with the French monarchy, since the coronation of the kings took place in the adjacent Reims Cathedral .

Palace
Palace To
Facade of the times of Louis XIV
A country	France
Location
World Heritage Site
Palace of tau
Link	No. 601 on the World Heritage List
Criteria	i, ii, vi
Region	Europe and North America
Inclusion	1991 ( 15th session )

In place of the palace already in the 6-7 centuries BC. e. there was a large Gallo-Roman villa , which later became the palace of the Carolingian dynasty. The first documented mention of the name dates back to 1131, and comes from a floor plan that resembles the letter T ( Greek tau ). Most of the early buildings were not preserved: the oldest part has been turned into a chapel since 1207. The building was heavily rebuilt in the Gothic style between 1498 and 1509, and gained its modern Baroque appearance between 1671 and 1710 by the efforts of Jules Arduin-Mansard and Robert de Cott . The palace was damaged by fire on September 19, 1914 and was not restored until the end of World War II .

One of the halls with tapestries

In the palace, the future French kings stopped before the coronation ceremony. Here they dressed for the coronation ceremony before going to the cathedral. After coronations, banquets took place in the palace. The first such banquet, about which information is preserved, was held in the palace in 990, the last - in 1825.

Since 1972, the palace has housed the Museum of the Cathedral Sacristy , displaying sculptures and tapestries from the cathedral, along with relics and other items related to the coronation of the French monarchs. Here are the originals of many statues that were damaged during the bombing of the cathedral in 1914 and replaced with restoration copies ^[2] .

That Palace, together with the Reims Cathedral and the Abbey of Saint-Remy , became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. About 100,000 visitors a year come here.