The myth library

Three rooms dedicated to Joan of Arc’s posterity

The myth library is a multimedia space devoted to the posterity of Joan of Arc that you can access freely or at the end of the digital tour.

A succession of three rooms will give you a better understanding of how Joan’s myth came to be, providing access to the works, both artistic and popular, and to the debates that she has inspired since the 15th century.

Joan’s posterity room

In the arts, the Republic and the Church, the figure of Joan of Arc has been widely used as a model of bravery, courage, piety and patriotism.

Already a unifying force during her lifetime, Joan of Arc became the standard-bearer for many movements and communities after her death. It is this appropriation of the Joan of Arc figure that is explored in this space.

Archive images, press cuttings and temporary exhibitions examine how Joan of Arc was assimilated, interpreted and sometimes misappropriated as a symbol.

The Historians

“Did Jeanne survive the stake? “How was she perceived by her contemporaries? “Is she a royal bastard?

Four medieval historians specialising in Joan of Arc are on hand to answer all your questions!

In this room, you can also discover the stories of those who have helped to build Joan’s story in school textbooks and scientific works over the centuries.

Cabinet of curiosities

Film posters, crockery, furniture, advertising objects… discover an impressive collection of objects that bear witness to the popularity of Joan of Arc in France from the 19th to the early 20th century.

Most of the collections in the cabinet of curiosities come from the Valléry-Radot collection and the Musée national de l’Éducation.