A sword is the weapon most closely associated with Joan of Arc’s reported discovery at Sainte-Catherine-de-Fierbois. Joan said a sword was found behind the church altar there, marked with five crosses.
The weapon was brought to her before the campaign connected with the relief of Orléans. Medieval accounts describe it as an important symbolic object, although the exact physical history of the sword cannot be independently established in the modern sense.
Joan also carried a banner, and later images often emphasize the banner more than the sword. The banner was her principal identifying emblem in many contemporary and near-contemporary accounts.
The Sainte-Catherine-de-Fierbois story should not be confused with claims that Joan personally forged or magically produced the weapon. The tradition says she identified its location and had it recovered for her use.