Joan of Arc was canonized in 1920 after being executed at Rouen in 1431.
Joan was born around 1412 in Domrémy, in northeastern France. During the Hundred Years' War, she reported receiving religious visions and traveled to support Charles, the dauphin of France. Her presence helped inspire French forces during the relief of the siege of Orléans in 1429, followed by Charles's coronation at Reims.
Joan was captured by Burgundian forces in 1430 and transferred to an English-aligned church court. She was condemned for heresy and burned at the stake in Rouen on 30 May 1431, when she was about 19. A later retrial ordered by Pope Callixtus III declared her conviction invalid in 1456.
Joan was beatified in 1909 and canonized by Pope Benedict XV on 16 May 1920. She is also recognized as a patron saint of France. She is sometimes confused with Saint Catherine of Alexandria, whose visions influenced Joan but who lived many centuries earlier.