Saint Joan of Arc – 30 May – Saint Of The Day Iconography
Saint Joan of Arc. A military leader and a gender revolutionary. A 19 years old martyr and a defender of the French nation. Patron saint of France.
Joan of Arc (1412–1431) was born into a peasant family in northeast France. When she was 16, she asked to be taken to the King of France, Charles, later testifying that she was guided by visions of the Archangel Michael, St Margaret, and St Catherine, to help him save France from English rule.
Convinced of her loyalty and purity, Charles sent Joan, who was by then about seventeen years old, to the siege of Orleans as part of a relief army. She arrived in the city in April 1429, carrying her banner and bringing hope to the demoralized French army.
Nine days after her arrival, the British abandoned the siege. Joan encouraged the French to aggressively pursue the English during the Loire Campaign, which culminated in another decisive victory at Pathé, opening the way for the French army to advance unopposed to Reims, where Charles was crowned King of France along with Joan.
These victories boosted French morale, paving the way for their eventual triumph in the Hundred Years’ War decades later.
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During one of the subsequent battles, she was captured by the British army. King Charles took no notice of her capture. Joan was put on trial for heresy. She was accused of blasphemy, wearing men’s clothing, acting on demonic visions, and refusing to present her words and deeds to the church because she claimed that she would only be judged by God.
As part of her renunciation, Joan was required to give up wearing men’s clothing. She changed her clothes to a woman’s dress and allowed her to shave her head. She was returned to her cell and kept in chains.
Joan was executed at the age of 19.
Iconography – Saint Joan of Arc is depicted as a young woman, dressed like a soldier in armor and has short hair, she also might hold a banner.
