In the footsteps of Joan of Arc
Places that still resonate with his presence
It was in Rouen that she was interrogated, that her two trials took place and that she was burned, on May 30, 1431. Follow in her footsteps in the historic center of Rouen, at the abbey church of Saint-Ouen or at the Place du Vieux Marché and don’t miss the John Doe Memorial which traces the destiny of this young shepherdess who became the greatest heroine of French History.
Heroin from Rouen
Jeanne d’Arc’s epic takes her from Domrémy to Rouen. She was born in 1412 in a village in Lorraine. The young shepherdess, who was very pious, said she heard voices asking her to free France from the English occupation. In the midst of Hundred Years’ War, Jeanne decides to join the future king Charles VII in Touraine, dressed as a man, with her hair cut short. She convinces him to let her fight the English at Orleans. Victorious, she leads the King to his coronation at the Rheims Cathedral on July 17, 1429. But in Paris, the warlord fails. She is taken prisoner by the Burgundians at Compiègne and then sold to the English, who lock her up in Rouen, their headquarters.
Vibrate to the last hours of the Pucelle
Follow the steps of La Pucelle through the streets of Rouen and vibrate to the pulse of history, with the help of an audio guide. The tour begins at the donjon, in a tower of the Castle of Philippe Auguste. It is there that she is interrogated before being tried for heresy on February 9, 1431. It continues at the St. Ouen Abbey where the cemetery was the site of her abjuration. Direction, the room of the Officiality of the Archbishopric, now Historial Joan of Arc, where the final sentence is proclaimed.
The Pucelle is condemned to the stake. On May 30, 1431, she is burned alive Place du Vieux Marché. Her ashes are thrown into the Seine from the pont Mathilde. A commemorative plaque recalls this moment, on the right bank, at the entrance to the present pont Boieldieu. The rehabilitation trial of Jeanne, at the request of her mother and with the agreement of the pope, is held at the archbishopric of Rouen, twenty-five years after her death. One hundred and fourteen witnesses are heard. A cross stands on the very site of the Pucelle’s torture, near the present Church of Saint Joan of Arc.
The Joan of Arc Memorial
A modern and family-friendly siteIt is not a museum but a true show tour that awaits you at the Historial Jeanne d’Arc, the largest site ever dedicated to the memory of the Pucelle. It allows you to immerse yourself in an immersive way in the judicial investigation related to her trial and to discover how her myth was built, over the years. Within the archiepiscopal complex of the Cathedral of Rouen, you are on the very spot where the two trials of Jeanne, condemned to the stake in 1431 and rehabilitated in 1456, were held. It couldn’t be more immersive! Projections, holograms, sound effects and 3D mapping make you live history in the present. You become an actor and judge of one of the greatest stories of France. Positive opinions widely shared and accessible prices for all.
Escape Game at the Donjon
Welcome to the Medieval Age for a life-size puzzle game in the John of Arc Tower, the only remaining visible remnant of the castle built by the King of France Philip Augustus. In groups of 3 to 8 people, you have 60 minutes to escape this dungeon where the heroine was threatened with torture in the presence of her judges. This new device allows you to discover the monument through a playful dimension and to tell the History of the city of Rouen in an interactive and educational way.
Joan of Arc Festival
Jeanne d’Arc is celebrated in Rouen every last weekend in May, on the dates closest to May 30, the anniversary of her death.
Spectacles, medieval markets and parades enliven the historic center of Rouen while exhibitions and colloquiums revolve around the icon, assuming the traditional and historical profile of Jeanne d’Arc but also questioning her myth and the echo that it resonates in our current societies. The idea is to make these celebrations a large-scale event, beyond the official ceremonies, associating the Rouen heritage linked to La Pucelle with modern and expanded events. Come with your family! Juggling and singing troubadours await you around the corner!