Friday, July 29, 2011

Joan portrayed on Deadliest Warrior TV program

The Deadliest Warrior TV program that aired this past Wednesday night included Joan in their most recent show titled Joan of Arc vs. William the Conqueror. This show is kind of cross between a history documentary and a professional sports event with three commentators as “experts” breaking down the match up. I enjoyed seeing the weapons demonstrations and thought they did a reasonably good job of portraying Joan however they seemed to have a lot of trouble explaining Joan’s divine inspiration. I think they would have helped themselves by relating what the men who followed Joan said about her as they all shared the same sentiment.

"I believe that Joan was sent by God and that her deeds in the war were the fruit of divine inspiration rather than of human agency." Jean de Metz

"All of the Maid's exploits seemed to me rather divine and miraculous than otherwise. It would have been impossible for any as young as the Maid to have performed such deeds except at the will and guidance of God." Jean d’Aulon

All in all I thought the program was well worth watching and except for one comment by their Doctor about Joan being bipolar (ridiculous) they presented Joan in a way that was positive and should inspire many viewers to want to learn more about her amazing life.

Vive la Joan!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Crowning of Charles VII Anniversary

“… the Dauphin will be made King, and it is I who will conduct him to the coronation.”

On July 17, 1429, Joan of Arc fulfilled her mission to lead Charles VII to his coronation and anointing as King. Joan had predicted that she would lead Charles to his crowing in Reims when she had begun her mission only a few months earlier. What had seemed impossible to everyone except Joan occurred that summer day in late July of 1429 in the Cathedral of Reims when Charles VII was crowned King of France. All the French people loyal to Charles rejoiced at his crowning as echoed by Christine de Pisan in her epic poem The Song of Joan of Arc:

"Now let us welcome our King!
Rejoice at his return from his fall,
overjoyed at the site of his splendor.
Let us all both great and small
step forward to greet him-no one
hold back-salute him with joyful face.
Praising God who has been so kind
let shouts of "Noel!" fill the place."

Christine’s poem was finished shortly after the crowning of Charles VII in Reims and reflects the national sentiments toward Joan of Arc at that time and is well worth reading to better understand the huge impact that this event had upon the people of France. An English translation is available online at MaidOfHeaven.com at
The Song of Joan of Arc by Christine de Pisan

You can also learn more about the coronation and the city of Reims by visiting this page about:
Joan of Arc & Reims

Vive la Joan

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

The 600th Anniversary of Joan of Arc’s Birthday

Next year will mark the 600th anniversary of the birth of St. Joan of Arc and we are now only six months away from this milestone so I thought it was a good time to make sure that everyone is aware of what is coming. There are many events planned worldwide to celebrate including a parade in New Orleans and a pilgrimage in France to name just a few. The picture below of the statue of Joan with her Voices at the Basilica of St. Joan of Arc near Domremy was taken just last month and you can see how the statues have been recently cleaned and re-painted to get ready.


How are you planning to celebrate Joan’s 600th birthday anniversary next year?

Learn more abut Joan’s birthday and the 600th anniversary at:
Joan of Arc's Birthday