Palace of Tau

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Remi and Palace of Tau, Reims
Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, vi
Reference	601
UNESCO region	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	1991 (15th Session)

Hall of the Tau

The Palace of Tau (French: Palais du Tau) in Reims, France, was the palace of the Archbishop of Reims. It is associated with the kings of France, whose coronation was held in the nearby cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims and the following coronation banquet in the palace itself.

A large Gallo-Roman villa still occupied the site of the palace in the 6th and 7th centuries, and later became a Carolingian palace. The first documented use of the name dates to 1131, and derives from the plan of the building, which resembles the letter Τ (tau, in the Greek alphabet). Most of the early building has disappeared: the oldest part remaining is the chapel, from 1207. The building was largely rebuilt in Gothic style between 1498 and 1509, and modified to its present Baroque appearance between 1671 and 1710 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Robert de Cotte. It was damaged by a fire on 19 September 1914, and not repaired until after the Second World War.

The Palace was the residence of the kings of France before their coronation in Notre-Dame de Reims. The king was dressed for the coronation at the palace before proceeding to the cathedral; afterwards, a banquet was held at the palace. The first recorded coronation banquet was held at the palace in 990, and the most recent in 1825.

The palace has housed the Musée de l'Œuvre since 1972, displaying statuary and tapestries from the cathedral, together with the remains of the cathedral treasury and other objects associated with the coronation of the French kings.

The Palace of Tau, together with the Cathedral of Notre-Dame and the former Abbey of Saint-Remi, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. It attracts around 100,000 visitors each year.

• 
  The Crowning of the Virgin Mary, original gable of the central portal of the cathedral of Reims.
• 
  Statue of Abraham from the south portal, 1215.
• 
  Tapestry from the Song of Songs cycle.
• 
  Tapestry from the Life of the Virgin, 16th c.
• 
  Tapestry from the Life of the Virgin, 16th c.
• 
  Tapestry from the Life of Christ.

• 
  Talisman of Charlemagne, 9th c.
• 
  Reliquary of the Holy Thorn.
• 
  Chalice of the Coronation (Sacre), 12th c.
• 
  Reliquary of Sixte and Sinice, 13th c.
• 
  Reliquary of the Resurrection, 15th c.
• 
  Reliquary of Saint Ursula, 15th c.

References

• This article is based on a translation of the equivalent article of the French Wikipedia, dated 2006-06-20

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Palais du Tau.

External links

• Palais du Tau website
• UNESCO website
• World Heritage website
• Reims tourism

World Heritage Sites in France
Île-de-France	Palace and Park of Versailles Fontainebleau Palace and Park Paris: Banks of the Seine Provins
Parisian basin	Amiens Cathedral Belfries of Belgium and France1 Bourges Cathedral Champagne hillsides, houses and cellars Chartres Cathedral Climats and terroirs of Burgundy Reims: Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Abbey of Saint-Remi, Palace of Tau Abbey of Fontenay Le Havre Vézelay Church and hill
Nord-Pas-de-Calais	Belfries of Belgium and France1 Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin
East	Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains and Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans Nancy: Place Stanislas, Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance Strasbourg: Grande Île Prehistoric pile dwellings around the Alps3
West	Abbey Church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe Mont Saint-Michel and its bay
South West	Episcopal city, Albi Port of the Moon, Bordeaux Prehistoric sites and decorated caves of the Vézère valley Pyrénées – Mont Perdu2 Saint-Émilion
Centre East	Chauvet Cave Lyon
Mediterranean	Roman and Romanesque monuments, Arles Carcassonne citadel Gulf of Porto: Calanches de Piana, Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve Avignon: Papal Palace, Episcopal Ensemble, Avignon Bridge Pont du Gard Orange: Roman Theatre and environs, Triumphal Arch
Multiple regions	The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier Canal du Midi Fortifications of Vauban Loire Valley between Sully-sur-Loire and Chalonnes-sur-Loire Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France
Overseas departments and territories	Lagoons of New Caledonia Pitons, cirques and remparts of Réunion
1Shared locally with other region/s and with Belgium 2Shared with Spain 3Shared with Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland

Coordinates: 49°15′11″N 4°02′04″E / 49.25306°N 4.03444°E / 49.25306; 4.03444