Memorial Day and Joan of Arc

How appropriate that Memorial Day this year falls on the anniversary of Joan of Arc’s death on May 30, 1431, which is her Feast Day. Memorial Day began in America as a way to remember fallen soldiers and honor them for their service and ultimate sacrifice. While Saint Joan of Arc was not an American soldier she certainly was the epitome of a true soldier and deserves to be remembered and honored for her service to all humankind. Joan’s feast day is celebrated every year by Catholics on the anniversary of her death and is essentially her memorial day. There is a special page at MaidOfHeaven.com commemorating Joan’s Feast Day which gives eyewitness accounts of her last moments and the heroic way that she died. Joan of Arc Feast Day
As we honor and remember our brave soldiers here in America today I hope everyone will also take a moment to remember and honor Saint Joan of Arc in a similar way for the great soldier of God that she was.

Vive la Jehanne!

Victory at Orleans

On a May 8th Sunday like today in 1429 Joan of Arc achieved complete victory at Orleans. On the morning of May 8th following the previous day’s spectacular storming and taking of the fort Les Tourelles by the French, the English defenders remaining around Orleans left their siege positions and assembled in order of battle in an open field near the city. The French forces came out of Orleans to oppose the English and for an hour the two armies faced each other. During this time Joan called for mass to be held. A citizen of Orleans, Jean de Champeaux, later testified as to what happened next: “The masses completed, Joan said to look and see whether the English were facing them. "No, the English are turned towards Meung,” someone replied. ‘In God’s name,’ Joan replied, ‘They are going. Let them go, while we go give thanks to God and pursue them no farther, since today is Sunday.” And thus total victory was achieved at Orleans as the English retreated away from Orleans. Joan and her army returned to Orleans and celebrated with the citizens of Orleans, a celebration that is renewed every year on May 8th in honor of the “Maid of Orleans.”

Anniversary of Joan Entering Orleans

On April 29, 1429, Joan arrived before the city of Orleans with her army and was greeted by the military commander of the city Jean Count of Dunois who was known as the Bastard of Orleans. Joan was not happy that her captains had not chosen the most direct route to Orleans and displayed her anger in responding to the greeting by Dunois: "Are you the Bastard of Orleans? Was it you who gave counsel that I come here, on this side of the river, and that I am not to go directly where are Talbot and the English?" Joan went on to say:

"In God's name, the counsel of our Lord is safer and wiser than yours. You have thought to deceive me, and you deceive yourself still more; for I bring you better succor than ever came to any knight or city whatever, seeing that it is the succor of the King of Heaven. Nevertheless, it comes to you not through love of me; it proceeds from God himself, who at the request of Saint Louis and Saint Charlemagne, has had pity for the city of Orleans, and has not wished that the enemy should at the same time possess the person the duke and his city."

Despite the harsh greeting, Dunois was thrilled at the arrival of Joan and her army and later described how he felt that the circumstances of her arrival and a miraculous changing of the wind that aided in their crossing of the river Loire into the town led him to believe Joan could only have been sent by God:

“And she crossed the river Loire with La Hire and myself, and we entered all together the town of Orleans. These are the reasons why I think that Joan, and all her deeds in war and in battle, were rather God's work than man's: the sudden changing of the wind, I mean, after she had spoken, which gave hope of aid, and the bringing in of the provisions in spite of the English, who were much stronger than the royal army, and the fact, furthermore, that this young girl swore that she had had a vision in which Saint Louis and Saint Charlemagne prayed to God for the safety of the King and of this city."

To learn more about Joan’s entry into Orleans visit this page about Orleans and Joan of Arc at MaidOfHeaven.com

Joan The Woman

When people picture Joan of Arc they generally see her as either the great warrior or the inspired saint, both of which she certainly was, however she was also at her core a simple young woman and really probably more accurately just a girl. I recently acquired an engraved plate of the picture of Joan above that I really love because of the way that the artist portrays Joan. According to the information I found about this artist, Henrietta Ward, she was inspired to paint this scene by the words below by the nineteenth century English writer Philip Henry Stanhope (Lord Mahon) who said of Joan: "Her young heart beat high with enthusiasm for her native France, now beset and beleaguered by the island strangers. Her young fancy loved to dwell on those distant battles, the din of which might scarcely reach her quiet village, but each apparently hastening the ruin of her fatherland. We can picture to ourselves how earnestly the destined heroine-the future leader of armies-might question those chance travelers whom, as we are told, she delighted to relieve, and for whose use she would often resign her own chamber, as to each fresh report from the changeful scene of war."

When I look at Joan in this picture I see in her face a look of consternation and concern for the beaten down soldier of France which reveals the deep love and compassion that she possessed for the people of her country. It reminds me of the words that Joan’s own mother later spoke about her: “Because the people suffered so much, she had a great compassion for them in her heart and despite her youth she would fast and pray for them with great devotion and fervor.”

This picture also reminds me just how young Joan was: only sixteen when she left home for good and only a few months into her seventeenth year when she led the armies of France to victory. As I contemplate all that this exquisite picture conveys I am left with the thought:

“With God all things are possible”

International Women’s Day

Joan of Arc continues to be a great inspiration to women and will undoubtedly receive a great deal of coverage today on International Women’s Day and throughout March during Women’s History Month. From the beginning of the Women’s movement Joan has been heralded as the epitome of a strong women and her likeness has been used countless times to promote women’s rights such as the poster below promoting women’s suffrage from the early 20th century.

My hope this year is that during all the exposure that Joan receives people will really learn about the true qualities that Joan possessed that made her so strong and such a great women. One of my favorite quotes about Joan by Scottish author and historian Andrew Lang speaks volumes about who Joan really was as both a women and as a person:
"She was the consummation and ideal of two noble human efforts towards perfection. The peasant's daughter was the Flower of Chivalry, brave, gentle, merciful, courteous, kind, and loyal....She was the most perfect daughter of her Church....her conscience, by frequent confession, was kept fair and pure as the lilies of Paradise."

Joan First Meets Charles VII Anniversary

On or around March 7, 1429, Joan of Arc first met Charles VII and the circumstances of their first meeting is one of the many miraculous events in the life of Joan of Arc. According to an eyewitness, Joan, who had never before seen Charles VII or had any idea what he looked like, was able to easily find him in a crowd of people. Apparently Charles had withdrawn into the crowd of people at his court in the castle at Chinon as a way to test her upon learning about her arrival. It must have made a great first impression on Charles that Joan was able to find him out so easily. They withdrew together and had a private conversation where Joan apparently told Charles some secrets that caused him to have “great confidence” in her as he later told some of hose who had witnessed their first meeting.
To learn more including some eyewitness accounts visit the page at MaidOfHeaven.com titled

Joan of Arc & Charles VII: First Meeting

Joan of Arc Movie

If you are looking for a good movie to watch about Joan of Arc you might try the 1948 movie “Joan of Arc” starring Ingrid Bergman. I received an email earlier today from a friend advising that this movie will be broadcast by TCM (Turner Classic Movies) this coming Sunday February 27th (Check your local schedule for exact time).
“This 1948 movie about Joan of Arc is my favorite out of all the Joan of Arc movies because it stays closest to the established history. I especially like the way they incorporated so many of Joan's most famous quotes into the script. Is it perfect, no, but then the perfect movie about Saint Joan has yet to be made and this one at least tries to stay close to the true story of Joan of Arc” from my review about this movie avialable at:
Joan of Arc Book Movie Music Reviews
You can also find more reviews on this page about most of the other movies that have been made about Joan of Arc.

Enjoy!