Maison de Jeanne d'Arc, Orléans

The Maison de Jeanne d'Arc stands on the Place du Général de Gaulle in Orléans, Loiret, on the site of the house—known historically as the Maison des Bouchers—where Joan of Arc lodged from late April 1429 during the siege of Orléans. The original structure was destroyed during Allied bombing in June 1940; the current building is a 1965 reconstruction based on archival descriptions and an early engraving of the original 15th-century half-timbered façade. Joan of Arc arrived in Orléans on 29 April 1429 to join the French forces attempting to relieve the city from English occupation. Between 4 and 8 May 1429, French troops under her moral and tactical leadership broke the English siege, forcing a withdrawal that represented the first major French military success of the Hundred Years' War in decades. The relief of Orléans transformed Joan from a regional figure into a national symbol and directly enabled the coronation of Charles VII at Reims in July 1429, which she attended in person. The museum contains a permanent collection relating to Joan's life, the siege of Orléans, and her trial and execution at Rouen in 1431. Items on display include replicas of arms and armour contemporary with the siege, medieval maps of Orléans, wax figures illustrating key episodes from Joan's biography, and a facsimile of 15th-century trial testimony. A short audiovisual presentation available in French and English provides context on the siege and Joan's subsequent canonisation by the Catholic Church in 1920. The museum also documents the Fête de Jeanne d'Arc, Orléans' annual civic celebration held each May since the 15th century, making it one of the oldest continuously observed festivals in France.