Joan of Arc Statue

You are now at the back of the Counts of Poitiers Palace, with the Maubergeon tower and the small Joan of Arc square. The statue was erected to mark the 500th anniversary of Joan of Arc’s visit to Poitiers. If you’ve forgotten what Joan of Arc came to Poitiers for, let’s have a quick look at her history. You may recall that Joan claimed to have been hearing the voices of saints since she was 13, urging her to drive the English out of France. She therefore set off to meet Charles VII in Chinon and predicted the victory of Orleans, his coronation in Reims (which was incidentally in enemy territory at the time) and the recapture of Paris. After this meeting, she was sent to Poitiers to explain all this to the ecclesiastics and also to confirm she was really a virgin. It was here, on the site of the little rock, that this humiliating examination is said to have taken place. This bronze statue dates from 1928. She is wearing armour under her dress, brandishing a branch in her right hand and carrying a flag in the left. The work is called the Angel of Peace. Joan of Arc was beatified in 1909 and canonised in 1920. Now that you’ve had a chance to admire the back of the Palais, continue on your left into the Cordeliers Street, then turn right into the Gambetta Street, to admire the front of the building and perhaps, if you wish, visit it.