Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Former Abbey of Saint-Rémi and Palace of Tau, Reims
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How it came to be
Remi, bishop of Reims (440 to 533), baptised the Frankish king Clovis, the origin of the anointing of the kings of France. In 816 Louis the Pious was crowned at Reims by Pope Stephen IV. From the coronation of Henry I in 1027 Reims became the regular place for crowning French kings, and according to UNESCO 25 coronations took place in the cathedral.
The present cathedral was begun in 1211 to replace a church destroyed by fire in 1210, and its structure was complete by 1275. On 17 July 1429, after Joan of Arc had taken the city, the dauphin Charles was crowned here. The last king crowned at Reims was Charles X in 1825. The neighbouring Palace of Tau was the archbishop's residence, where the king dressed before the coronation and where the banquet was held afterwards.
The church of the Abbey of Saint-Remi was dedicated by Pope Leo IX in 1049 and kept the relics of Saint Remi. The Holy Ampulla used to anoint the kings was kept at the abbey and destroyed in 1793 during the Revolution. On 19 September 1914 German shells set fire to the timber frame of the cathedral roof, which was entirely lost. Restoration began in 1919 under Henri Deneux, and the three buildings were inscribed as a World Heritage site in 1991.
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