Jehanne la Pucelle

 This was the name she went by while on her mission which means

Joan the Maid. Her fathers name was Jacques d'Arc, her name being

Jehanne d'Arc and she is called Joan of Arc in the States, but this 

was her actual name. As I child I looked up to her and still do as 

a person of great strength and courage and unending faith. Who by 

any standard gave it her all, and had some astounding accomplishments,

especially for a young woman from that period of time dealing with

military campaigns and the politics of the day. Impressive for a

young teenage woman from a small village, Domremy, who couldn't

read or write. Because of the condemnation trial in Rouen in 1431 

and the nullification trial 25 years later, historians have a lot

of historical documents from which to work from to tell her story.

There was a prophecy about a "Maid from Lorraine" who would come

and rescue the French people. At her time half of France was under

English occupation with whom the war had been going on for nearly

a century.

 She was born in the early fifteenth century in a small village of

Domremy. Her house was located very close to a small church were

she would go and pray. She states that she was about 13 when she

was first spoken to in her father's garden. It seems that the

Archangel Michael spoke first, and put the deal together, then

that St. Margaret (of Antioch) and St. Catherine (de Fierbois) 

were her mentors, and it was in a church named after

St. Catherine that she would later send someone to find a sword

buried behind the altar. Aside from the voices which she never

mentioned to anyone, she led a normal childhood doing what other

girls her age did. Though she did refuse to be married just before

she started her journey.

 Now when she was about seventeen her teachers were prodding her to

start, which for her was to go to see Robert de Baudricourt and ask

him to provide her with an escort to see the Dauphin Charles at

Chinon, see was sent home. She goes a second time and something 

appears to happen, though it is not until after their third 

meeting that an escort is prepared. It seems an exorcism is 

performed before they leave, as a precaution by the local priest, 

for I am sure it was a little unnerving for them. But finally she 

is on her way.

 Now upon reaching Chinon and the court of the Dauphin Charles, he

had set a preliminary test for her. They put someone else on the

throne, and he hid in the crowd. When she entered the room she

knew from her counsel that he was not on the throne and went and

found him in the crowd. She then requested a private meeting with

him where she showed him a sign or something, it is not known 

what, for both Charles and Joan said there was one, but neither 

ever revealed what it was. But it was enough to move the 

process along.

 Charles had her escorted to a convent at Poitiers where her

virginity was checked and she was interrogated by the Church.

While there she sends a letter to the English to leave France or

face the consequences. Then it is back to Chinon where Charles

assembles an army for her. While here she sends someone for her

sword and has her Banner made. Now it is time to head for Orleans.

 The city had been under siege for sometime and things were not

looking good for the town which was the gateway to southern France.

When she and the troops arrived it lifted the spirits of the 

beleaguered citizens. After she sent warnings asking the English

to leave and warning them that the King of Heaven wants them

to go home and if they don't she will raise a war cry that will be

remembered forever, and almost 600 years later it still is. After

this it took several battles before the siege was lifted. With 

this task accomplished she set about her primary goal which was 

to take the Dauphin Charles and have him crowned in Reims,

Charles the VII.

 Now there were other battles before and along the way. But her

mission was to crown Charles in Reims which was deep within enemy

territory. A little over four months had passed since Joan left

Vaucouleurs until Charles was crowned on July 17, 1429.

 She knew that she would have about a year before her time would

be over, she was captured on May 23, 1430. There are a couple of

stories about her that I would like to tell here and I would urge

you to go out and read a book about her. The first is about while

on a field of battle how she went out alone with her Banner in

front of the opposing English forces and told them they would die

here today if they did not leave and they took her advice and left.

The other is a story about her praying with some towns people over

a baby that was dead so that it could be Baptized, and that the 

child revived long enough to be Baptized and then its body died.

 She was treated shamelessly by all those in power including the

King she had helped. She was held in prison for just over a year.

A few days before the end, they scared her into recanting about her

teachers, by showing her where they would burn her. Though after

this, her teachers told her God had told them of His great sorrow

for what she had done. She then took back her recantation and they

sentenced her to burn by a fire of wood, and themselves to the 

eternal fires of hell. When she was burned a man made a cross that

she put in her bosom and another brought a cross from a church

and held it at eye level until her death. The last thing she said was

                    JESUS!

From the Basilica in Domremy      GO TO THE BASILICA FOR MORE ^

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