The city lies km 80 mi northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by the Gauls , Reims became a major city in the Roman Empire. The royal anointing was performed at the Cathedral of Reims , which housed the Holy Ampulla of chrism allegedly brought by a white dove at the baptism of Frankish king Clovis I in Before the Roman conquest of northern Gaul , Reims had served as the Remi tribe's capital, founded c.
In the course of Julius Caesar 's conquest of Gaul 58β51 BC , the Remi allied themselves with the Romans , and by their fidelity throughout the various Gallic insurrections secured the special favour of the imperial power. Christianity had become established in the city by , at which period Saint Sixtus of Reims founded the Diocese of Reims which would be elevated to an archdiocese around The consul Jovinus , an influential supporter of the new faith, repelled the Alamanni who invaded Champagne in , but the Vandals captured the city in and slew Bishop Nicasius ; [ 7 ] in Attila the Hun put Reims to fire and sword.
In βten years after Clovis , King of the Salian Franks, won his victory at Soissons β Remigius , the bishop of Reims, baptized him using the oil of the sacred phialβpurportedly brought from heaven by a dove for the baptism of Clovis and subsequently preserved in the Abbey of Saint-Remi. King Louis VII reigned β gave the title of duke and peer to William of Champagne , archbishop from to , and the archbishops of Reims took precedence over the other ecclesiastical peers of the realm.
By the 10th century, Reims had become a centre of intellectual culture. Archbishop Adalberon in office to , seconded by the monk Gerbert afterwards from to Pope Silvester II , founded schools which taught the classical " liberal arts ". Adalberon also played a leading role in the dynastic revolution which elevated the Capetian dynasty in the place of the Carolingians.
The archbishops held the important prerogative of the consecration of the kings of France β a privilege which they exercised except in a few cases from the time of Philippe II Augustus anointed , reigned β to that of Charles X anointed The Palace of Tau , built between and and partly rebuilt in , would later serve as the Archbishop's palace and as the residence of the kings of France on the occasion of their coronations, with royal banquets taking place in the Salle du Tau.
