Palace of Tau, Royal palace and history museum next to Notre-Dame Cathedral in Reims, France
The Palace of Tau is a royal residence standing beside Notre-Dame Cathedral in Reims, displaying Gothic and Baroque architectural features. Inside you will find coronation robes, royal tapestries, chalices, and ceremonial objects that date across several centuries.
This building grew from the ruins of a Roman villa and became a royal residence during the Carolingian period. Its name comes from the T-shaped layout of the structure, first recorded in written documents during the 11th century.
This palace was where French kings prepared themselves for coronation ceremonies held in the adjacent cathedral. The rooms and objects here show how important these rituals were to royal life and the kingdom's identity.
The palace sits right next to the cathedral and is easy to walk to from the city center. The rooms are clearly marked, allowing you to follow a path through the story of French royal coronations at your own pace.
King Francis I. decided in 1528 to rebuild this palace as the official preparation space for future coronations. This decision turned it into the essential location for these ceremonies throughout the following centuries.
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