The episcopal palace of Rheims owes its name to thefact that it is shaped in the form of a T ("Tau" in Greek). The first documented use of this name dates from 1131. Archaeological remains testify to the existence of a rather large Gallo-Roman villa on the site in the 6th and 7th centuries; certain parts of the Carolingian palace are still visible in the wall of the lower hall. The Palatine chapel which still exists dates from 1207, but there is no specific information on this palace which must have looked like a fortified castle until the end of the 15th century. At that date, it was transformed into a Flamboyant Gothic palace before being entirely modified between 1671 and 1710 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and Robert de Cotte. Burned in 1914, it was not restored until after the Second World War. In the banquet hall, which dates from the Middle Ages, took place significant events relating to the coronation of the kings of France: the sovereign's levee and dressing before the ceremony, and a banquet for several thousand people which was paid for by the City of Rheims. The first mention of a coronation banquet dates from 990. The last coronation and the last royal banquet were held when Charles X was crowned in 1825. The Palais du Tau houses the Musée de l'Oeuvre, whose collections contain decorative sculptures from the cathedral, Flemish tapestries representing the history of Clovis and the treasury with coronation items and precious works of art given by the kings and queens of France.
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