Jeanne d’Arc and Palais de Justice

Rouen is where Joan of Arc was brought to be jailed, tried, and burnt at the stake. Her story is told at the Histoire d’Jeanne next to the cathedral. It’s very well done with a mix of reenactment and movie scenes providing the story of the 1456 inquisitorial court (25 years after her death) which reinvestigated Joan's trial and overturned the verdict, declaring that it was tainted by deceit and procedural errors.
Essentially she was railroaded to a guilty verdict by the English who ran Normandy and Brittany at the time. With her heroism, she provided a boost to the French morale which ultimately helped them win the Hundred Years’ War.
In addition to the museum, there is a Catholic Church to Saint Joan, a large cross in the Vieux-Marché, and several memorials.

Outside the Rouen Cathedral is the Rouen city sign where we had to take the obligatory photo. More interesting than the city sign is the LEGO bricks pressed into the Palais de Justise. A local artist had school children bring in extra or orphaned bricks, the they were pressed into the divots created by shooting and bombings from WW2. While the entire facade is pockmarked, the LEGO bricks really highlight the impacts in their area.

Until the morrow dear readers, until the morrow….Read more