France: Rouen – Church of Saint Joan of Arc

Rouen is associated with Joan of Arc and her trial and execution. In the early 15th century the Hundred Years’ War was raging between England and France. France was fractured and England controlled much of norther France , including Rouen. Joan of Arc, a 17 year old girl has convinced Charles VII to let her lead troops to several successful victories including in Orleans. In 1430, she was captured by Burgundian forces allied with England and sold to the. English and transferred to Rouen. She was tried and convicted on 70 charges, including faced 70 charges, including heresy, witchcraft, and cross-dressing (wearing men’s armor). She was declared a heretic and sentenced to death and was burned at a stake at the central square in Rouen. 15 years later a retrial proclaimed her innocence. She was canonized as a saint in 1920. An ultra-modern-looking Eglise Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc aka Church of Saint Joan of Arc was built in Rouen in the exact spot of her execution.