Reims hosted Charles VII’s coronation attended by Joan of Arc in July 1429.
Reims Cathedral had long been associated with the coronation of French monarchs. Its importance came partly from the traditional use of holy oil, or chrism, linked in medieval tradition with the baptism of Clovis I. Holding the ceremony at Reims therefore gave Charles’s kingship powerful religious and historical symbolism.
Joan helped persuade Charles to proceed toward Reims after the French victory at Orléans and subsequent successes in the Loire campaign. The army reached the city with limited resistance, allowing the coronation to take place on 17 July 1429.
Reims should not be confused with Paris, another major political center that remained outside Charles’s secure control for much of the period. It also differs from Rouen, where Joan was tried and executed. The cathedral was badly damaged during the First World War but was later restored.