The Archbishopric

A treasure trove of history and architecture

In Rouen, the memory of Joan of Arc is everywhere. From the Donjon, where she was threatened with torture, to the Abbey Church of Saint-Ouen, whose cemetery was the site of her abjuration, from the Place du Vieux-Marché where she was burnt, to the Archbishop’s Palace where part of her trial took place.

It is in this monument, unique in more ways than one, that the Joan of Arc Historial has been housed since 2015. Within its centuries-old stone walls, the Archbishop’s Palace houses the remains of the room known as the “Officiality”, where Joan was sentenced in 1431 and where her second trial took place in 1456.

A true feat of architecture, the archiepiscopal palace is also the only one in France to retain its original function. Inside, emblematic architectural elements from different periods (Gothic, Romanesque, etc.) come together to form a precious whole, magnificently restored. The tour of the Historial takes visitors through these incredible spaces, from the Romanesque crypt to the Salle des États, via the Chapelle d’Aubigné and the Watchtower.