In the earlier post about Église Saint-Roch, the canonization of Joan of Arc was mentioned. The church held a special service when she was elevated to sainthood in 1920.
The church's connection to Joan of Arc is its location. In 1429, when Joan led the failed siege of Paris, she and her soldiers attempted to break through the Porte de Saint Honoré, located a short distance from the church. (At the time, a small chapel stood where Saint-Roch stands today.)
The map below depicts the walled city of Paris during the middle ages. The red arrow points to Porte de Saint Honoré. The church is marked by a small cross (✝) to the left.
The location of the former gate and its historical significance is indicated by a marker on the street.
Also nearby is an equestrian statue depicting Joan of Arc. On a sunny day, the gilded statue is eyecatching.
Joan of Arc is certainly a religious symbol in France, as one of its patron saints.
Joan is also a political symbol. Politicians with nationalist values have adopted Joan of Arc as their patron. Each May 1, the tradition is to lay a wreath in front of the statue. In 2019, Marine Le Pen, the President of the Front National party placed a wreath.
In contrast, another event also traditionally occurs on May 1. Not far from the Joan of Arc statue, a wreath is laid at the spot where, in 1995, Brahim Bourram drowned after he was attacked and thrown into the Seine while viewing a Front National parade. Brahim Bourram, a 29 year old father of two, was a Morrocan living in Paris. His killer, motivated by race, was convicted of murder.
In 2019, the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, placed the wreath here.
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