Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All France Reims Joan of Arc Statue

Joan of Arc Statue

An image of the legendary saint stands in the shadow of a cathedral she liberated.

Reims, France

Added By
Mictlān Tēcutli
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Joan of Arc.   Vassil Statue: Paul Dubois (1829 - 1905)/public domain
The North side of the Cathedral of Reims whose spires the statues gaze is directed at   Zairon
Detail of sculpture.   Vassil Statue: Paul Dubois/public domain
Joan of Arc Statue - Outside Reims Cathedral, France   mmmyoso / Atlas Obscura User
The earliest picture of Joan of Arc, a doodle drawing created during her lifetime.   Clément de Fauquembergue/public domain
Joan of Arc.   Scorewith German/cc by 3.0
Detail of warhorse.   Clelie Mascaret/cc by-sa 3.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

This Third Republic-era statue (created in the late 19th century) portrays the legendary Joan of Arc, a warrior, mystic, martyr, and saint who saved the city of Reims from destruction at the hands of the English army. It stands in the shadow of the very cathedral she helped protect. 

Born into a peasant family, the young Joan had witnessed English forces burn her village to the ground, making her family refugees. This understandably fueled her anger toward the occupying invaders. As such, her determination to fight the English made her a key figure in the battles of the Hundred Years' War, particularly the March to Reims. Her liberation of the Reims Cathedral allowed Charles VII of France to be crowned king.

Paul Dubois’s image of her in Reims, crafted from bronze, portrays the "Maid of Orleans" as a wide-eyed woman with a noticeably ethereal demeanor as she gazes at the spires of the cathedral. Her facial expression perhaps hints at the mysticism at the heart of her life. But what this statue really shows is a depiction of a ferocious woman who is at ease in a world of warfare.

One of Joan of Arc’s steel-clad arms is held aloft, raising an épée bâtarde longsword, while her other hand grips the reigns of her war-horse. The beast itself is powerfully built, its nostrils flaring and its hoof pawing the ground in readiness to charge.

Needless to say, this is definitely not a figure you would want to see on a dark night, and certainly not if you were an English-allied Burgundian soldier in Reims during 1429, when Joan of Arc and her 12,000-strong army besieged the city. Indeed, in such a scenario, a mere glimpse of her closeup likely would have been the last sight you ever saw before being cut down by a strike of her longsword.

Related Tags

Statues Horses Kickass Women Saints Catholic

Know Before You Go

You can walk by the statue at any time.

Community Contributors

Added By

Monsieur Mictlan

Edited By

mmmyoso

  • mmmyoso

Published

February 4, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reims_Cathedral
Joan of Arc Statue
3 Rue Guillaume de Machault
Reims
France
49.253688, 4.032496
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Ruins at the Hotel le Vergeur

Reims, France

miles away

The School Where Germany Surrendered

Reims, France

miles away

Reims-Gueux F1 Circuit

Gueux, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Reims

Reims

France

Places 3

Nearby Places

The Ruins at the Hotel le Vergeur

Reims, France

miles away

The School Where Germany Surrendered

Reims, France

miles away

Reims-Gueux F1 Circuit

Gueux, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Reims

Reims

France

Places 3

Related Places

  • Joan of Arc in Meridian Hill Park

    Washington, D.C.

    Joan of Arc Equestrian Statue

    The only female equestrian statue in Washington, D.C. is a 15th-century French heroine.

  • Tokyo, Japan

    Maria of the Ant Village

    This church commemorates a venerable, yet nigh-forgotten woman who dedicated her life to the poor in post-war Tokyo.

  • Thomas Thornycroft’s statue of Boadicea and her Daughters in London.

    London, England

    Boadicea and Her Daughters

    A statue of the legendary Celtic warrior queen who fought the Roman invaders stands in one of the cities she once destroyed.

  • Næstved, Denmark

    Denmark’s Smallest Equestrian Statue

    Honoring a local founder, this tiny tribute once vanished under mysterious circumstances.

  • The collégiale Sainte Gertrude.

    Nivelles, Belgium

    Collegiate Church of St. Gertrude

    The patron saint of cats founded this stunning Romanesque church in the 7th century.

  • Durham, England

    'The Journey'

    A statue commemorating the perilous journey made by the monks who delivered the body of St. Cuthbert.

  • St. Paul’s Island.

    Malta

    St. Paul’s Island

    This tiny island is recognized as the site where St. Paul landed after a shipwreck in the first century.

  • The small shrine prays homage to a miracle.

    New Franken, Wisconsin

    National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion

    In 1859, the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared in this small town.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.