My name is Joan...
Bridge, street, museum, church, fountain, square, shows, etc. Joan of Arc is given pride of place throughout the whole city. Intertwined throughout history, the city of Rouen and its surrounding area will once again give pride of place to the girl nicknamed "The Maid of Orleans" with the opening of the Joan of Arc Museum planned in 2015 within the Archbishop's palace next to the Cathedral Notre-Dame. To depict her life, her trial and her rehabilitation, the scenography will rely on animated maps, 3D models, dioramas, and projections.
Joan of Arc forms an integral part of Rouen's landscape. This is where she was burnt at stake by the British in 1431 after being quickly tried for heresy, which left no doubt about the outcome. A second trial would be opened after her death and declared her innocent, which nullified the first sentence and declared her a martyr. The exact location where she was burnt at stake is indicated next to Saint Joan of Arc Church in the Place du Vieux Marché (Old Market Square). You should really visit the inside of this building whose architecture is surprising and brings to mind the maritime character of Rouen thanks to the materials used and the beauty of the stained-glass windows that are displayed.
In the footsteps of Joan of Arc through the city
There is evidence of her presence in many places throughout the city: in the Joan of Arc Tower, the only remnant of Philip II Augustus' castle located close to the train station, and, by the way, where she has never been imprisoned. The Rue Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc Street) links the Art Deco train station to the bridge of the same name. Incidentally, this neighbourhood was also appreciated by another famous woman: Simone de Beauvoir, who loved to sit at the bistro Le Métropole, a stone's throw away from the train station. There is also evidence of Joan of Arc's presence in the Place de la Pucelle (lit. The Maid's Square) where many little bars, bistros, shops, restaurants and luxury hotels surround this square that long ago used to house a fountain named after the young Maid of Orleans.
It is also here, in Rouen, along the banks of the river Seine that her ashes were dispersed…