The out­stand­ing han­dling of new archi­tec­tur­al tech­niques in the 13th cen­tu­ry, and the har­mo­nious mar­riage of sculp­tur­al dec­o­ra­tion with archi­tec­ture, has made Notre-Dame in Reims one of the mas­ter­pieces of Goth­ic art. The for­mer abbey still has its beau­ti­ful 9th-cen­­tu­ry nave, in which lie the remains of Arch­bish­op St Remi (440–533), who insti­tut­ed the Holy Anoint­ing of the kings of France. The for­mer archiepis­co­pal palace known as the Tau Palace, which played an impor­tant role in reli­gious cer­e­monies, was almost entire­ly rebuilt in the 17th cen­tu­ry.