Joan of Arc

 
 

Joan of Arc is a fascinating woman.  She started out as a simple illiterate peasant girl.  At 13 she heard God speak to her and decided to devote herself to Christ.

 

At 16 she was hearing the Archangel Michael as well as 2 saints – Catherine of Alexandria and Margaret of Antioch.  They were telling her to save France and to crown the dauphin (French equivalent of the Prince of Wales).

 

She recognised the Dauphin in Chinon Castle and got his permission to lead an army.  She defeated the English at Orleans.  She stood beside the Dauphin when he was crowned in 1429.

 

She was charged with witchcraft (which seems a bit ungrateful).  The English found her guilty having captured Rouen by then and she was burned at the stake.

 

The pope overturned the verdict in 1456 but she was not made a saint until 1920.

 

Her feast day is 30 May.  Her emblems are armour and a battle banner.  She is the patron saint of France and French soldiers.