Joan of Arc

This painting depicts Joan of Arc, a French peasant born during the Hundred Years’ War (around 1412). She had visions in which Catholic saints told her she would save France from the English. She was about 17 years old when she courageously led French troops against the English siege of Orléans in 1429. The siege of Orléans had been going on for six months when Joan of Arc and her troops arrived. Nine days after they joined the fight, the siege was lifted.

Joan was 19 years old when she was captured by the English and their French allies and burned at the stake for heresy, or “deviant” behavior (which included wearing men’s clothing) in 1431. Joan of Arc is a well-known martyr (a person who is killed because of their beliefs). In 1920 the Catholic Church declared her a saint. She is the patron saint of soldiers and of France.

Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens is best known for his religious and mythological paintings. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish baroque tradition. He painted Joan of Arc more than 200 years after she was killed, during the ongoing war between the Protestant Dutch and the Catholic Flemings. This painting represents the artist’s religious beliefs and the importance that the Catholic Church placed on honoring its martyrs and heroes.