On June 15, 2026, the French postal service, La Poste, issued a stamp featuring the Palais du Tau in Reims, the future home of the Museum of Coronations.
The former palace of the archbishops of Reims bears a curious name that refers to its original "T" shape (Tau in Greek). Built on the ruins of a Gallo-Roman domus, right next to the cathedral, this building long resembled a fortress before major renovations, led by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the architect of Versailles, and his disciple Robert de Cotte, transformed it into a classical palace in the 17th century. It was here that the kings of France stayed during their coronation in Reims Cathedral, a symbol of the alliance between God and the monarchy. From Louis the Pious in 816 to Charles X in 1825, thirty-three monarchs resided in this palace. It was also within these walls that the grand banquet following the coronation took place, bringing together thousands of guests, where the king, surrounded by twelve high-ranking vassals, reenacted the Last Supper of Christ with his apostles.
In 1722, at the coronation of Louis XV, a sparkling wine, christened "champagne," was served for the first time. Transformed into a courthouse during the Revolution and then into a prison, the palace was restored for the last coronation in French history, that of Charles X. Classified as a historical monument in 1907, the Palais du Tau burned down along with the cathedral and most of the city of Reims during German bombardments in 1914. It wasn't until the 1950s that it was completely rebuilt and transformed into a museum in 1972. Visitors can admire, among other things, Charlemagne's "talisman," a jewel of gold and precious stones containing a relic of the True Cross. Classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, the palace is undergoing a massive renovation project, intended to transform it into a museum of the coronation of the kings of France.
