Saint Joan of Arc is very well known, and her figure represents a profound love for her homeland and a genuine feeling of peace. The saint was born in 1412 in France from a peasant family. He participated in the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) as he felt God’s call to rescue the king of France from the English attack, obtaining a series of victories. Joan continued to fight alone even during the king’s negotiations with the English, with whom she did not agree; for this reason she was targeted and captured by the Burgundians, who were allied with the English. She was then imprisoned in Rouen Castle and later tried for heresy and witchcraft. Joan of Arc was then condemned and burned alive in the Old Market Square of Rouen on 30 May 1431; she was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920.

Tales of the statue in Dome’s building site:

Saint Joan of Arc is the original statue created and based on the model of the sculptor Tullio Figini between 1955 and 1956. Present on the first order of spiers that face north, the Saint is depicted here wearing soldier’s armor and the face of a young girl, a synthesis of the two sides of the saint’s personality. G57 was in fact the only spire of the Cathedral that was completely destroyed following the bombings of the Second World War, while the other 134 were only partially damaged. For this reason, in its redesign, various elements that refer to the theme of war and bombings were included among the decorations, such as the statue of Santa Barbara placed at the base of the spire, as the patron saint of the Fire Brigade and in general protector of those who find themselves “in danger of sudden death”.