Equestrian statue of Joan of Arc. Monument to Joan of Arc in Paris. Peasant girl saves France

Yesterday was the day of remembrance of Joan of Arc. Below are monuments and paintings that were found in various cities of France, from where I returned yesterday. I think it is logical to place them in this community, since there is a hope that the story of Joan will actually be of interest to many and in France it is quite possible to visit a number of places associated with her name.

I was very glad to see that most of the monuments to her are modest. Of course, since the moment of beatification and canonization, enough “sacred” images have appeared, but at the same time, after getting acquainted with her life, it is impossible to imagine any other monument than very simple ones.

Notre-Dame de Paris

2. Rouen. Cathedral. A very simple altar.

4. In Rouen they seem to be very fond of making earthenware. The theme of Joan of Arc did not escape him either, although here she is depicted in some kind of cartoon form. Besides this, of course, they try to call everything that can and cannot be named after her, although, it seems to me, they manage to resist quite well.

5. Wall of Rouen Cathedral. It also has a “historial” attached to it, a multimedia museum, but it is said to contain mostly films in French (translation is available). There is also supposedly something on the Place du Vieux-Marche, but it is unclear where.

6. Place du Vieux-Marche - the place where Joan of Arc was burned. Now there is a modern church, a tall memorial cross (without inscriptions) and this simple sculpture. At the site of the execution there is now a small flower garden.

7. The church was supposed to resemble tongues of flame; it has a peculiar shape.

8. Inside the Church of Joan of Arc

10. Notre-Dame de Paris.

11. Orleans. To the side of the station there is the Paroisse Saint Paterne church, where a) there are absolutely no tourists and, as a result, tourist tinsel and there are not even begging boxes and b) its own statue of Joan of Arc.

12. Next to her are signs with thanks.

13. Orleans is a very bright city. This is a heel on the pavement, which is used there instead of painted road markings. I can’t be one hundred percent sure that this is also Joan of Arc, but the style of the city (with the street of Joan of Arc and everything named after Joan of Arc) generally doesn’t leave much choice.

14. Statue on Martroi Square. (Denis Foyatier)

18. Modern reconstruction of the house where Jeanne lived for some time during the events in Orleans. Unfortunately, the multimedia shown there is said to be poor. This is generally such a problem: the stronger the image, the worse it is reproduced.

19. Church of the Miracles of the Virgin Mary (modern building on the old site). There Joan prayed after the siege of Orleans was lifted.

20. Iconography

21. Simple altar

22. Peculiar frescoes

24. Orleans Cathedral, of course, was also not spared the theme of Joan. In general, it seems that the whole city is one big monument.

26. One of the stained glass windows of the cathedral, where the biography of Joan of Arc is embodied. Alas, postcards from the cathedral are so-so and do not really convey the full effect.

27. Monument in Orleans Cathedral

28. Bas-reliefs of the lower part of the altar\monument in the Cathedral of Orleans

30. Former city hall, Hotel Groslot. A 19th-century statue damaged in the 1944 battles for the liberation of Orleans.

33. In Groslot there is “Joan of Arc’s room.” On the wall is a copy of Ingres’s painting, for some reason in different armor.

36. Orleans Museum of Fine Arts. Jean Jacques SCHERRER, 1887.

38. Of course, cafes, etc. actively use the name.

39. In the parking lot directly below the statue there is the old gate of Orleans, through which she entered the city. No signs, no signs, thanks to the attentive people on Tripadvisor.

40. Louvre.

41. Jeanne at Domremy, Orsay Museum.

Thank you for your attention.

Speaking about France, in addition to the Eiffel Tower and Figaro, another image arises - a heroic one. Joan of Arc left a “flaming” mark on history. Until now, her biography is the subject of numerous studies, publications and film adaptations. The monument to Joan of Arc can be found not only throughout France, but also in Canada and other countries.

Some facts from the life of the Maid of Orleans

In fact, Joan of Arc cannot be called French by birth. Domrémy, where she was born in 1412, did not belong to the monarchy. Local residents of her native village called her Jeannette. And her surname, inherited from her peasant father, was written without an apostrophe.

When she told everyone about her vision at the age of 16, she was simply laughed at, especially by the military. However, she came again and with her tenacity won respect, and soon everyone was talking about her prediction, when the outcome of the war already seemed sadly clear, and the French could only hope for divine powers.

Men's armor was made especially for Jeanne, with the permission of a commission of theologians. The sword was taken from the church of Sainte-Catherine-de-Fierbois. She had her own banner. And all this was a privilege unprecedented at that time, which after the execution was equated to a crime.

When Joan of Arc was accused of witchcraft, she renounced wearing men's clothing and her faith in exchange for life in prison. But they decided to provoke her and threw a robe into the dungeon, which she refused. Recurrence of a crime only led to the death penalty. And Zhanna did not make excuses, but took her renunciation back. The result was a huge fire and a desecrated reputation, which was returned to her in the future by Charles VII.

How many monuments to a woman warrior

Historians do not undertake to voice the exact number of all the statues dedicated to Joan. Several sculptures can be seen in the French capital. The monument to Joan of Arc in Paris on the Place des Pyramids was created by the sculptor Fremier in 1874, when the country, which had experienced defeat, felt a great need to maintain the patriotic spirit. The installed equestrian statue underwent reconstruction, during which the size of the rider was increased. Apparently, the author slightly miscalculated the angle from which Jeanne would be seen by the audience at the pedestal. Then the heroine seemed very small compared to the stallion. She was “increased” in proportions and re-seated. The warrior is dressed in sparkling gilded armor, and in her hands she holds a banner.

There is also a bronze sculpture of Joan of Arc at the Church of St. Augustine, which is located on the square of the same name. Pavel Dubois also chose the image of a horsewoman, only he put a sword in the heroine’s hands. Tourists can see copies of this composition in Strasbourg and Washington.

There are several monuments to Joan of Arc in Paris, the most famous of which is installed on the small square of the Pyramids on Rivoli. The square, located opposite the entrance to the Tuileries Garden, is named so in memory of Napoleon's expedition to Egypt. On the eve of the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, the Republican government commissioned the sculptor Emmanuel Fremier to create an equestrian statue of Joan of Arc to install it here. The monument was ready by 1874 and could not have come at a better time - after the defeat in the war, a patriotic upsurge began in the country, every city wanted to have a monument to the Maid of Orleans.

At first there was an incident with the equestrian statue: the sculptor did not take into account the laws of optics, according to which the figure of the rider appears smaller to people standing below than it actually is. The figure of the warrior had to be enlarged to match the size of the horse.

The location for the monument was not chosen by chance: not far from here, Jeanne was wounded during the unsuccessful siege of Paris. There are two more equestrian statues of Joan in the city - in front of the Church of Saint-Augustin and on the square near the Tower of Saint-Jacques, as well as a walking monument at the Museum of the Virgin. In addition, there is a sculpture of the saint in almost every Catholic cathedral in the country. The monument in Pyramid Square is the most famous and at the same time has the least artistic merit.

Jeanne is depicted in armor, with a banner in her hand, the figures of the rider and horse are covered with sparkling gilding. Today the monument is a center of attraction for patriotic events of various kinds.

Joan of Arc, a simple peasant girl, saved France from English occupation during the Hundred Years' War of the 14th-15th centuries. After a series of amazing victories, she was captured by the Burgundians, who handed her over to the British. Burned at the stake as a witch. Subsequently rehabilitated and canonized - canonized by the Catholic Church. National heroine of the French people. Every year on May 8th, all of France celebrates Joan of Arc Day. A helicopter carrier cruiser, as well as an asteroid, are named after the country’s savior.

Every year in the last week of May, young girls strew the Seine with flowers in memory of their national heroine, the Maid of Orleans - Joan of Arc. The Norman city of Rouen has been asking for forgiveness to the whole world for several centuries for the death that occurred in 1431 on the Old Market Square. It was there that the young patriot Joan of Arc was burned alive. According to one legend, the flame that engulfed the Maid of Orleans could not overcome the girl’s heart. The French believed in her holiness long before the brave girl was canonized by the Catholic Church.

Today Rouen is a kind of museum dedicated to Joan of Arc. Squares, streets, bridges and even cafes - these places carefully preserve the memory of the national heroine. In Rouen there is also a famous tower in which the captured Jeanne awaited her death hour. The brave girl, thanks to whom the siege of Orleans was lifted, with whose help the French army believed in its strength, was accused first of heresy, and later of witchcraft. The great French heroine was executed in the very heart of the Old Market Square - this place is marked with a cross lined with five stones.

Panoramic walk through the streets near the Church of Joan of Arc

The church built at the site of the execution bears the name of Joan of Arc. It was erected in 1979 on the ruins of the Church of St. Vincent, which was destroyed after the events of the Second World War. Louis Arreche worked on the project.

Every tourist who finds himself next to the majestic building is overwhelmed by a sea of ​​emotions from what he sees. No one can say for sure, by observing the asymmetrical forms of the church, what it looks like. To many, the Church of Joan of Arc resembles an overturned ship - this is the most common version. From a bird's eye view, someone sees a huge stingray in this structure, and the long tail is especially clearly visible. The structure, symbolizing courage, valor and patriotism, never ceases to amaze and delight.

The Church of Joan of Arc is a large architectural complex that includes a religious building and a market, after which the square itself is named. The first thing your gaze falls on when you find yourself at the place of worship of the ascetic of the French land is a huge dome, reminiscent of a bonfire, on which the great martyr burned in the fire of hatred. What makes this building special is its covering, which looks like scales - it looks somewhat like a huge crocodile with a long tail.

Why does the Church of Joan of Arc resemble an overturned ship to many? Once inside, you will be surprised. Look at the ceiling of the church - it actually looks like the deck of a ship, supported by huge, massive columns. The marine theme is complemented by images of fish on the wall. According to one hypothesis common in France, the church in the form of a ship was erected to remind of the importance of the sea and the Seine River.

Church of Joan of Arc on the map

The decoration of the Church of Joan of Arc is rightfully considered to be a stained glass wall, assembled from the remains of the stained glass window of the predecessor church, which was bombed during the war. Shimmering in the night light, this magnificent composition tells the story of Jesus Christ. The Church is always ready to open significant pages of history, to lift the veils of secrets to everyone.

Inside the building there is a sculpture of Joan of Arc herself. It always glows from the hundreds of candles that caring parishioners light here, thanking the great Frenchwoman for her courage and courage.

More than 6 and a half centuries have passed since the execution of Joan of Arc. A lot has changed in the world since then. Heretics are a thing of the distant past, and witchcraft is not punishable by death. The Virgin of Orleans proudly and, at the same time, calmly contemplates the life of Rouen, silently answers questions from tourists and once again repeats to the whole world: honor and valor have no statute of limitations...

In the French capital, there are several monuments to the legendary Jeanne d'Arc, a national heroine canonized by the church. The most famous of them is located in the very center of the small rectangular Square of the Pyramids, east of the Rue de Rivoli. On a clear day the gilded statue of a brave girl sitting on a horse literally dazzles with the glare of the sun. At first glance, the monument is not located in the best place: it is difficult to walk around it, and there is also a road nearby. Meanwhile, from a historical point of view, the place for the monument was chosen simply impeccably.

Peasant girl saves France

First, a few words about the character of the monument. Joan of Arc as a legendary historical figure is widely known throughout the world, including here in Russia. In Soviet times, she was even compared to the fearless Komsomol members of the Young Guard. And it is no coincidence: in the gaze of the French “Komsomol member” of the 15th century one can read the same unshakable determination, the same fanaticism (in the best sense of these words). By origin a simple rural girl, she was one of the commanders of the French troops during the Hundred Years' War of 1337-1453. The British wanted to completely subjugate France, but the point of obstacle was the city of Orleans, the assault on which began in 1428.

A small detachment led by Jeanne penetrates the city, and on May 4 her soldiers won their first victory. More victories followed, and on the night of May 7–8, the British were forced to lift the siege. After this, she received the nickname “Maid of Orleans”, and May 8 is now celebrated annually in France as Joan of Arc Day. Subsequently, the heroine was captured by the Burgundians. They, in turn, handed it over to the British. She was subsequently condemned by the church as a “heretic, apostate, idolater” and sentenced to death by the tribunal. On May 30, 1431, at the age of 19, she was burned alive at the stake. Her ashes were scattered over the Seine. However, the British were never able to recover from the defeat inflicted on them by Joan. This is how a simple peasant girl saved her homeland from occupation.

Fanatical determination in appearance

Joan of Arc believed in her high destiny, so the sculptor Emmanuel Fremier, to whom the Republican government of France ordered an equestrian statue of the heroine, decided to convey this moment as much as possible in her appearance. As a result, the face of the Maid of Orleans seems somewhat unusual; there is no calmness and peace in its features and facial expressions. Jeanne's gaze is fanatically directed forward, and this is also not surprising, given her obsession with her idea. D'Arc is wearing armor and has pointed shoes on his feet, but he doesn't even have a helmet on his head. But the horse’s head is protected, at least its muzzle. A banner flutters in the right hand of the fearless girl - it seems that even the wind emphasizes her determination.

The master also took an unconventional approach to designing the horse. The muscles on it are emphasized, which emphasizes the strength and power of the animal, and at the same time echoes the strength and power of Jeanne’s own faith. Work on the sculptural composition began on the eve of the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 and was completed by 1874. However, Fremier did not take into account one detail - the laws of optics, and it turned out that visually, when viewed from below, the figure of the rider is perceived smaller than it actually is. To eliminate this issue, Joan of Arc had to be “enlarged” so that she would look symmetrical against the background of the horse. The location of the monument, although it is not entirely convenient due to busy street traffic, remains unchanged. After all, it was here that she was wounded in 1429 while leading the siege of Paris. Nowadays, the monument to the legendary warrior has become a center of attraction for various patriotic forces that regularly hold political events here.

Address: Place des Pyramides, 1st arrondissement of Paris.

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