Joan had apparently sent some of her belongings to her family for safekeeping. Joan gave Charlotte her gray hat, which was said to have been treasured by Charlotte's descendants for two hundred years until it was given to the Oratorian Order of Priests in Orleans. Charlotte, Boucher's nine year old daughter, was said to have been enthralled with Joan, who treated her as a little sister, even sharing Charlotte's room while she stayed in the Boucher home. Once in Orleans, Joan was taken to the home of Jacques Boucher, who was treasurer to the Duke of Orleans. By means of the Maid, they said, we are going at last to escape our enemies'. One eyewitness wrote that Joan 'was received with such great joy by all the inhabitants of both sexes, great and small, that it seemed she was an angel of God. The city had been under siege since October of 1428, and many, including the English, thought it was just a matter of time before the city would fall and the English could claim a victory.

From Quiz: The Canonization of The MaidĪs can be imagined, when Joan of Arc entered Orleans on April 29, 1429, it caused a great stir. The theologian, Saint Bede, waited 1,164 years before he was given sainthood. In the case of Thomas More, for example, canonization was given 400 years after his death. While there are examples of the five year waiting period being shortened, there are many cases where the process took much longer.

Historically over the course of the subsequent centuries, it might be argued that France (who would press for canonization) and the Church (who would bestow it) had other more urgent matters at hand. After the conclusion of the Hundred Years War in 1453, it took three more years for the issue of Joan's trial and death to be reexamined. While initially the late-coming canonization may surprise readers, it must be remembered that immediately after Joan's death in 1431, the country was still at war with England Paris (whose university had provided accessors for the trial), and Rouen (where the trial was held) were still in the hands of the enemy. The Pope, however, can waive that requirement, as Pope Benedict XVI did in beginning the canonization process for Pope John Paul II in 2005, and John Paul II did for Mother Theresa in 1999. First, it should be said that the purpose of the five-year waiting period is to give some time for emotions to calm a bit.

Mark twain and joan of arc