Haskell Coffin,
Joan of Arc Saved France—Women of America, Save Your Country—Buy War Savings Stamps, 1918, poster, 30 3/8 x 20 3/8 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, gift of Phillip M. Flammer.
On this day in 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for heresy. Joan of Arc was canonized as a saint by the Roman Catholic church in 1920 and May 30 is the feast day. Joan of Arc is one of patrons saints of France. Joan of Arc was a young woman living in Domrémy, France who experienced heavenly visions, in which she was told to lead France to victory against the English. A few years later, still as a teenager, she spoke to the top leaders of the French army and became part of the morale-building lift on the besieged Orléans, a decisive French victory, though she was wounded by the arrow in the shoulder. Following the success at Orléans, Joan played a key role in consulting the top military personnel on what next steps to take, which led to several more miraculous victories for the French. She was captured by the English in 1430, and put on trial for heresy. It is speculated that she was only about nineteen years old at the time of her death. In the 1450s, the Catholic church examined her trial and pronounced her innocent of all charges and her death a martyrdom.