Joan of Arc was born a simple farm girl,
but by the age of nineteen was called
"The Savior of France."
Welcome to the Joan of Arc Resource. This site is dedicated to sharing information about Saint Joan of Arc’s life, death and impact on society. We have a special focus on listing and reviewing various works of art about Joan of Arc — including paintings, books, movies, and other types of art.
About St. Joan of Arc:
Even though more than 575 years have passed since the death of Saint Joan of Arc, she remains one of the most intriguing people the world has ever seen. There are so many questions that arise when studying her life. Were her actions truly divinely inspired? Was she really a saint? If so, why would God care more about one country than another? What is true about her accomplishments and what is myth? What was her life really like? And most importantly, how could such a young girl have possibly done what she did?
We have these questions because it is nearly impossible to find anyone in history to whom we can adequately compare her actions. Mark Twain, who spent many years studying Joan of Arc, has perhaps described her uniqueness best:
Joan of Arc stands alone, and must continue to stand alone, by reason of the unfellowed fact that in the things wherein she was great she was so without shade or suggestion of help from preparatory teaching, practice, environment, or experience. There is no one to compare her with, none to measure her by; for all others among the illustrious grew towards their high place in an atmosphere and surroundings which discovered their gift to them and nourished it and promoted it, intentionally or unconsciously. There have been other young generals, but they were not girls; young generals, but they had been soldiers before they were generals: she began as a general; she commanded the first army she ever saw; she led it from victory to victory, and never lost a battle with it; there have been young commanders-in-chief, but none so young as she: she is the only soldier in history who has held the supreme command of a nation's armies at the age of seventeen. (From his essay entitled "Saint Joan of Arc")