Jennifer Lambert

A Sacred Balance

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Celebrating Lammas Day

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Lammastide or Lughnasadh/Lughnasa falls at the halfway point between the Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox.

Lammas means “loaf-mass” in Anglo-Saxon.

The focus was on either the early harvest aspect or the celebration of the Celtic god Lugh.

August 1 is a festival to mark the annual wheat harvest, and is the first harvest festival of the year. On this day it was customary to bring to church a loaf made from the new crop, which just began to be harvested.

After the grain is harvested, it is milled and baked into bread, which is then consumed. It is the cycle of the harvest come full circle.

The grain dies so that the people might live. Eating this bread, the bread of the gods, gives us life. If all this sounds vaguely Christian, it should be. In the sacrament of Communion, bread is blessed, becomes the body of God and is eaten to nourish the faithful. This Christian Mystery echoes the pagan Mystery of the Grain God. 

Lammas coincides with the feast of St. Peter in Chains, commemorating St. Peter’s miraculous deliverance from prison.

In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet (1.3.19), it is observed of Juliet, “Come Lammas Eve at night shall she [Juliet] be fourteen.” Since Juliet was born Lammas eve, she came before the harvest festival, which is significant since her life ended before she could reap what she had sown and enjoy the bounty of the harvest, in this case full consummation and enjoyment of her love with Romeo.

We especially enjoyed visiting the Trier Cathedral Harvest Festival. Many churches in Europe and the UK have lovely harvest altars, thanking God for His bounty.

Lammas is a festival of regrets and farewells, of harvest and preserves.

  • Reflect on the year in your journal or share with others around a bonfire. Lughnasa is one of the great Celtic fire-festivals.
  • Look up the myths of any of the grain Gods and Goddesses and discuss with your family and friends. 
  • Go to a county fair to celebrate the end of summer, school beginning, harvest.
  • Make corn dollies, herb wreaths or garlands, bake bread. Cute kids crafts here.
  • Go on a nature walk and look at the changes.
  • Sing songs and roast food over the fire.

Robert Burns published the poem John Barleycorn in 1782, and there are various modern versions:

There were three men come out of the west, their fortunes for to try
And these three men made a solemn vow, John Barleycorn would die
They’ve ploughed, they’ve sown, they’ve harrowed, thrown clods upon his head
Till these three men were satisfied John Barleycorn was dead

Refrain: There’s beer all in the barrel and brandy in the glass
But little Sir John, with his nut-brown bowl, proved the strongest man at last

They’ve let him lie for a long long time till the rains from heaven did fall
And little Sir John sprang up his head and so amazed them all
They’ve let him stand till midsummer’s day and he looks both pale and wan
Then little Sir John’s grown a long long beard and so become a man

{Refrain}

They’ve hired men with the sharp-edged scythes to cut him off at the knee
They’ve rolled him and tied him around the waist, treated him most barbarously
They’ve hired men with the sharp-edged forks to prick him to the heart
And the loader has served him worse than that for he’s bound him to the cart
So they’ve wheeled him around and around the field till they’ve come unto a barn
And here they’ve kept their solemn word concerning Barleycorn
They’ve hired men with the crab tree sticks to split him skin from bone
And the miller has served him worse than that for he’s ground him between two stones

And the huntsman he can’t hunt the fox nor loudly blow his horn
And the tinker he can’t mend his pots without John Barleycorn

Regrets

Think of the things you meant to do this summer or this year that did not come to fruition. You can project your regrets onto natural objects like pine cones, corn husks, or paper and throw them into the fire, releasing them.

Farewells

What or who is passing away from your life? What is over or completed? Say goodbye to it. As with regrets, you can find visual symbols and throw them into the fire. You can also bury them in the ground, perhaps in the form of flower bulbs which will manifest in a new form next spring.

Harvest

What have you harvested this year? What seeds did you plant that are sprouting? Find a visual way to represent these, perhaps creating a decoration in your house or garden to represent this harvest to you. Make a corn dolly or learn to weave grain or grass into artistic designs.

Preserves

This is also a good time for making preserves, either literally or symbolically. As you turn the summer’s fruit into jams, jellies, and chutneys for later, think about the fruits that you have gathered this year and how you can hold onto them. How can you keep them sweet in the stores of your memory?

How do you prepare your hearts for the change in season?

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Celebrating May Day

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May Day is the 1st of May.

May Day or Beltane is an ancient spring festival in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s an astronomical holiday. It’s one of the year’s four cross-quarter days – a day that falls midway between an equinox and solstice. May 1st is between the March equinox and June solstice. The other cross-quarter days are Groundhog Day/Candlemas/St. Brigid’s Day or Imbolc on February 2, Lammas on August 1, and Halloween on October 31. The day stems from the Celtic festival of Beltane, which was related to the waxing power of the sun as the Northern Hemisphere moves closer to summer.

Because the Puritans of New England considered the celebrations of May Day to be licentious and pagan, they forbade its observance and the holiday never became an important part of American culture.

May Day probably was originally a fertility festival in ancient Greece and Roman times.

In Germany, the eve of May Day is Walpurgis Night, and the village youth often play pranks and ours charged a toll to enter the village! They decorated a little evergreen May Tree with ribbons and flowers that is then carried by parade to the village barn or town hall. It stayed there until it completely rotted.

Saint Walpurga, an English abbess and missionary, has been hailed by German Christians since 800 AD for battling “pest, rabies and whooping cough, as well as against witchcraft.” In folklore, Hexennacht, literally “Witches’ Night,” was believed to be the night of a witches’ meeting on the highest peak in the Harz Mountains. Christians prayed to God through the intercession of Saint Walpurga in order to protect themselves from witchcraft. Saint Walpurga was successful in converting the local populace to Christianity. People continue to light bonfires on Saint Walpurga’s Eve in order to ward off evil spirits and witches.

In Hawaii, May Day is also known as Lei Day since 1927.

How to Celebrate May Day

Plant flowers or a tree.

I love getting out in the garden in springtime. I love shopping for vibrant flowers, even if we don’t have much of a budget for them. The kids and I scatter wildflower seeds for a bee and hummingbird garden around Earth Day and May Day.

Make a maypole or personal flower wands.

These are just lovely and fun for all children (and big kids)!

Dance around a maypole.

Dance away the cold winter weather with colorful ribbons and weaving in and out with friends and family.

Make a flower crowns or leis.

These are super fun with real or fake flowers. Makes fun presents!

Have a bonfire.

We use our fire pit in the backyard and roast hot dogs and marshmallows and talk and sing. It’s a fun time.

Give flower baskets.

I love this tradition that must be revived! Make small baskets with some fresh flowers and hang on neighbors doors!

Have an outdoor picnic.

Super easy to gather up some snacks and spend some time in the sunshine at a park or back yard.

Go on a nature walk.

We love exploring nature during season changes to see what’s new.

Read books (especially poetry) about springtime.

May first is the day
When children play,
And hang a basket of flowers
On your doorknob—
and mine.                   ~Nellie Edge

How do you welcome May?

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Celebrating St. Patrick

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We really like the story of St. Patrick.

It’s a fun holiday. It’s been popular in the USA for many years.

I love the prayer Breastplate. In part:

Christ be within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ inquired, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

Legend of St. Patrick:

Patrick’s birth name was Maewyn Succat. He was born a Roman citizen in Roman Britain, in the town of Banna Venta Berniae, sometime in the late 300s AD. He was kidnapped into slavery and brought to Ireland. He escaped and became a priest, went back to Ireland, where he had a lot of luck converting the Druids into Christians.

He changed his name to Patricius (or Patrick), which derives from the Latin term for “father figure,” after he became a priest. 

It became a popular feast day or holiday in the 17th century.

Since the holiday falls during Lent, it provides Christians a day off from the prescriptions of abstinence leading up to Easter.

The first ever St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in Boston in 1737. In 1762, the first New York City parade took place.

It wasn’t until 1798, the year of the Irish Rebellion, that the color green became officially associated with the day. (It used to be blue.)

Thanks to a marketing push from Budweiser in the 1980s, downing (green) beer has become a common way to celebrate.

How We Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day:

St. Patrick Resources:

Learn about the other patron saint of Ireland: St. Brigid.

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Celebrating St. Valentine

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Valentine’s Day is a huge holiday, but there’s a rich religious history and interesting legends behind it.

My husband and I don’t really celebrate Valentine’s Day. We’ve never been without kids. I don’t like to eat out. We don’t like crowds. We often just stay home, quiet, and maybe make a special family meal and set out some pretty spring decorations.

I try to make holidays special for the kids and often do theme homeschool activities. We’ve gone to homeschool Valentine parties so they can exchange traditional cards like school kids.

Now that they’re older, we read books about the legend and history and feast day and just have fun, eat yummy food, and await springtime.

Legends of St. Valentine

How We Celebrate St. Valentine’s Day:

Valentine Resources:

How do you celebrate Valentine’s day as a family?

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Celebrating Candlemas

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I know everybody is going on and on about groundhogs, but I think Candlemas is a much more beautiful and meaningful holiday.

Candlemas occurs 40 days after Christmas. Candlemas is the most ancient of all the festivals honoring Mary.

Celebrating Candlemas

The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple is the ceremony described in the Gospel of Luke, combining the purification rite with the redemption of the firstborn:

22 And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

23 (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

24 And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,

31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;

32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;

35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.

36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity;

37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.

38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

Luke 2:22-38

I love the  Nunc Dimittis. There are lovely works of art and music by Bach commemorating this time.

History:

The earliest reference to specific liturgical rites surrounding the feast are by the nun Egeria, during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land (381–384).

The Emperor Justinian I, after a terrible plague, ordered a period of fasting and prayer throughout the entire Empire in 541 and thanksgiving in 542.

In Rome, the feast appears in the Gelasian Sacramentary, a manuscript collection of the seventh and eighth centuries associated with Pope Gelasius I.

The tenth-century Benedictional of St. Æthelwold, bishop of Winchester, has a formula used for blessing the candles.

It was the traditional day to remove the cattle from the hay meadows, and from the field that was to be ploughed and sown that spring.

References to it are common in later medieval and early Modern literature; Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is recorded as having its first performance on Candlemas Day 1602.

It was one of the Scottish quarter days, at which debts were paid and law courts were in session, until a change in the law in 1991.

In Irish homes, there are many rituals revolving around welcoming St. Brigid into the home on Imbolc with candles, wheat, and milk. She was seen by Celtic Christians as the midwife of Christ and “Mary of the Gael.” In Ireland and Scotland, Brigid is the “foster mother of Jesus.”

In Poland, the feast is called Święto Matki Bożej Gromnicznej (Feast of Our Lady of Thunder). This name refers to the candles that are blessed on this day, called gromnice, since these candles are lit during thunderstorms and placed in windows to ward off storm damage.

The Western term Candlemas refers to the practice where a priest blesses candles for use throughout the year.

Some Christians observe the practice of leaving Christmas decorations up until Candlemas.

“If Candlemas Day is clear and bright,
winter will have another bite.
If Candlemas Day brings cloud and rain,
winter is gone and will not come again.”

“Down with the rosemary, and so
Down with the bays and mistletoe;
Down with the holly, ivy, all,
Wherewith ye dress’d the Christmas Hall”
~Robert Herrick (1591–1674), Ceremony upon Candlemas Eve

Moch maduinn Bhride, Thig an nimhir as an toll; Cha bhoin mise ris an nimhir, Cha bhoin an nimhir rium.
(Early on Bride’s morn, the serpent will come from the hollow I will not molest the serpent, nor will the serpent molest me)
Thig an nathair as an toll, la donn Bride Ged robh tri traighean dh’ an t-sneachd air leachd an lair.
(The serpent will come from the hollow on the brown day of Bridget Though there should be three feet of snow on the flat surface of the ground)
~Carmina Gadelica

Celebrating Candlemas:

  • Eat crêpes! Crêpes or pancakes, with their round shape and golden color reminiscent of the solar disc, refer to the return of Spring after the dark and cold of Winter.
  • Candles
  • Read books
  • Take down Christmas decorations
  • Look at weather predictions
  • Make candle holders

Activities:


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Celebrating Saint Brigid’s Day

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Candlemas…Imbolc, the feast day of the Celtic goddess Brigid marks the beginning of spring, celebrates the arrival of longer, warmer days and the early nature signs of spring on February 1.

Born at a liminal time in a liminal place, Brigid is said to have been born on the threshold of a door (neither within or without the house) and at the breaking of dawn (neither day or night). There is ample proof that Brigid is most likely a continuation of the earlier goddess Brigid/ Brigantia who was worshipped in ancient Ireland.

The word Imbolc means “in the belly,” in the old Irish language, referring to the pregnancy of ewes.

Imbolc is one of the four major “fire” festivals (referred to in Irish mythology from medieval Irish texts. The other three festivals on the old Irish calendar are Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain/Halloween).

St. Brigid is the patron saint of babies, blacksmiths, boatmen, cattle farmers, children whose parents are not married, children whose mothers are mistreated by the children’s fathers, Clan Douglas, dairymaids, dairy workers, fugitives, Ireland, Leinster, mariners, midwives, milkmaids, nuns, poets, the poor, poultry farmers, poultry raisers, printing presses, sailors, scholars, travelers, and watermen.

Celebrating Saint Brigid's Day

Celebrating Saint Brigid’s Day

  • Nature walk to look for signs of spring
  • Eat customary Irish foods
  • Read books
  • Donate to charity or serve others
  • Make Brigid crosses out of straw
  • Visit a farm to learn about the cattle and sheep

Customs

Brigid would be symbolically invited into the house and a bed would often be made for her and corn dollies made as her representatives. Often a family member, representing Brigid, would circle the home three times carrying rushes. They would then knock the door three times, asking to be let in. On the third attempt they are welcomed in, the meal is had, and the rushes are then made into crosses.

Irish children, especially girls, often dress up in rags and go door to door like trick or treating, chanting:

“Here comes poor Brigid both deaf and blind,

Put your hand in your pocket and give her a coin

If you haven’t a penny, a halfpenny will do

If you haven’t a halfpenny, God bless you.”

One of the earliest references to the St. Brigid’s Cross is from a 1735 poem:

“St. Bridget’s cross hung over door

Which did the house from fire secure

O Gillo thought, O powerfull charm

To keep a house from taking harm;

And tho’ the dogs and servants slept,

By Bridget’s care the house was kept.”

More Information and Activities:

St. Brigid’s Blessings and Poems from Brigidine Sisters

Shower of Roses

The Kennedy Adventures

PB Grace

Coloring Page from Waltzing Matilda

Irish Folklore: St. Brigid

Fish Eaters: St. Brigid

Books:


Spring is just around the corner!

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Celebrating Epiphany

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Three Kings Day or Epiphany or Twelfth Night on January 6 celebrates three events:

  1. the arrival of the Magi, or Three Wise Men, or Three Kings, in Bethlehem to see the child Jesus
  2. the baptism of Jesus
  3. Jesus’ first miracle.

In Germany and other places in Europe, chalk is used to write the initials of the three magi over the doors of churches and homes.

The letters stand for the initials of the Magi (traditionally named Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar).

Also the phrase Christus mansionem benedicat, which translates as

“May Christ bless the house.”

In Spain, there are processions of the Three Kings through city main streets and big festivals.

In France, they eat lovely almond cake. And in New Orleans, it’s King Cake!

Read more about the extensive world traditions of Epiphany.

We were so happy to finally visit Köln/Cologne to see The Shrine of the Three Kings before we moved back to the States. It’s a beautiful cathedral.

I love this image so much from an old holiday card that I saved it:

We learn about frankincense and myrrh as we read books about the Magi.

I have our family nativity scene displayed through January 6, and have the magi travel throughout the living room until they reach the Holy Family.

May Christ Bless This House

And Yours.

Celebrating Epiphany

  • Make a King Cake or Galette des Rois
  • Read about Daniel (precursor to the Magi?)
  • Watch The Star (for little ones)
  • Watch The Star of Bethlehem (for older)
  • Put on a funny skit or play
  • Crafts
  • Read books about the Magi
  • Visit, make, or learn about the Nativity scene
  • Listen to Bach
  • Sing carols about the Wise Men (I love We Three Kings of Orient Are)

Activities:

Books:


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Celebrating Saint Lucia’s Day

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We enjoy celebrating holidays from around the world.

St. Lucia’s Day is a lovely celebration for children.

Celebrating Saint Lucia's Day

St. Lucia Day History

The celebration of St. Lucia comes from stories that were told by monks who first brought Christianity to Sweden.

December 13th was also the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, in the old “Julian” calendar and a pagan festival of lights in Sweden was turned into St. Lucia’s Day.

St. Lucia’s Day is celebrated by a girl dressing in a white dress with  red sash and a wreath with candles on her head. Small children use electric candles, but from about 12 years old, real candles are often used. The crown is traditionally made of lingonberry branches which are evergreen and symbolise new life in winter.

A national Lucia is chosen in Sweden every year. Lucias visit hospitals and homes for the elderly, singing a song about St. Lucia and handing out Pepparkakor, ginger biscuits.

Boys might dress up as Stjärngossar (star boys) and small girls might be attendant Tärnor (like Lucia but without the candles).

A popular food eaten at St. Lucia’s day are Lussekatts, buns flavored with saffron and dotted with raisins which are eaten for breakfast.

St. Lucia Crafts and Activities

A fun recipe for St. Lucia Cookies

Catholic Icing paper dolls

Making Learning Fun printables

Felt crowns from JoyFilled Family

Lots of activities from The Kennedy Adventures

Paper crowns and star hats from Kiddley

Another paper crown from Sweet Paul

Swedish holiday books from What Do We Do All Day

Arthur episode about St. Lucia on PBS Kids

St. Lucia Books

What interesting holidays does your family celebrate?

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Celebrating Martinmas

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St. Martin is the patron saint of beggars, drunkards, and the poor.

His feast day falls during the wine harvest in Europe, he is also the patron saint of wine growers and innkeepers.

In the agricultural calendar it marks the beginning of the natural winter, but in the economic calendar it is seen as the end of autumn. Because it comes before the penitential season of Advent, it is seen as a mini “carnivale,” with feasting and bonfires.

St. Martin’s Feast is much like the American Thanksgiving – a celebration of the earth’s bounty.

Tradition says that if it snows on the feast of St. Martin, November 11, then St. Martin came on a white horse and there will be snow on Christmas day. However, if it doesn’t snow on this day, then St. Martin came on a dark horse and it will not snow on Christmas.

Children often dress up and go around with lanterns as beggars for sweets. Sound like Halloween?

Celebrating Martinmas

How to Celebrate Martinmas

Make a Lantern

I love these examples of homemade lanterns:

St. Martin’s Bags

Ġewż, Lewż, Qastan, Tin
Kemm inħobbu lil San Martin.

Walnuts, Almonds, Chestnuts, Figs
I very much love Saint Martin.

Give to the Poor

Donating clothing to the poor is in remembrance of St. Martin cutting his cloak in half for the beggar during a snowstorm.

Pray for Military

St. Martin was a Roman soldier and November 11th is Armistice Day and Veterans Day.

Bonfires

Foods

Martinmas is the end of fall harvest, so breads and cakes are common.

Pretzels, croissants, and horseshoe-shaped almond sweets represent St. Martin’s white horse.

Goose is often eaten in Germany.

The legend goes that whilst trying to avoid being ordained bishop, St Martin hid in a goose pen only to be betrayed by the squawking of the geese. Around Europe, many people still celebrate Martinmas with roast goose dinners.

Beef is popular in Ireland and the UK.

Rhymes

If the wind is in the south-west on St Martin’s Day (11th), it will stay there right through to Candlemas in February, thus ensuring a mild and snow-free winter.

“Wind north-west at Martinmas, severe winter to come.”

“If ducks do slide at Martinmas
At Christmas they will swim;
If ducks do swim at Martinmas
At Christmas they will slide”

“Thunder in November means winter will be late in coming and going”

“If the geese at Martin’s Day stand on ice, they will walk in mud at Christmas.”

Ice before Martinmas,
Enough to bear a duck.
The rest of winter,
Is sure to be but muck!”

É dia de São Martinho;
comem-se castanhas, prova-se o vinho.
It is St. Martin’s Day,
we’ll eat chestnuts, we’ll taste the wine.

A cada cerdo le llega su San Martín.
Every pig gets its St Martin. The phrase is used to indicate that wrongdoers eventually get their comeuppance.

Martinmas celebrations begin at the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of this eleventh day of the eleventh month (11:11 am on November 11).


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Celebrating Saint Joan of Arc

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I’ve always held a fascination for Joan of Arc, ever since I was a little girl.

The historical story is a remarkable one, no matter what one believes.

To hear heavenly voices and do something amazing, to save one’s country and obey God – it’s the stuff of dreams and fairy tales.

But Joan did all that and more.

Joan was burned at the stake as a heretic in 1431, after a politically-motivated trial. The appellate court retried Joan and declared her innocent on 7 July 1456. She was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920.

We’re focusing on European history this year since we’re living in Germany.

We spent several weeks reading about Joan of Arc, the 100-year war, and other issues of the Middle Ages.

To celebrate the end of the first unit of our history cycle 2, we visited Rouen – where Joan of Arc was tried and executed.

Joan of Arc Unit Study

For our Joan of Arc Unit Study, we read lots of books, watched some films, completed notebooking pages, and traveled to Rouen.

Books:

Joan of Arc: The Lily Maid by Margaret Hodges

Joan of Arc by Michael Morpurgo

Joan of Arc: Heroine of France by Ann Tompert

Dove and Sword: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Nancy Garden

Joan of Arc by Diane Stanley

Joan of Arc by Demi

Joan of Arc by Josephine Poole

Joan of Arc by Mark Twain

DK Biography: Joan of Arc by Kathleen Kudlinski

Joan of Arc (Step into Reading) by Shana Corey

My son especially loved this book and it was very accurate, not dumbing anything down.

Joan of Arc (Dorling Kindersley Readers, Level 4) by Angela Bull

Films:

Joan of Arc with Ingrid Bergman and Directed by Victor Fleming

Joan of Arc with Leelee Sobieski

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc with Milla Jovovich


Joan of Arc Interactive DVD by Nest Learning

There’s also an activity book here.

Activities:

St. Joan of Arc coloring page from Catholic Icing

Reenaction with Legos by Adventures in Mommydom

Simple Joan of Arc Lapbook from Homeschool Epiphany

Online documents of Saint Joan of Arc Trials

Interactive Maps of Travels of Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc notebooking and coloring pages from Shower of Roses

Joan of Arc notebooking page from Homeschool Helper Online

Our Field Trip to Rouen:

Eglise Sainte-Jeanne-d’Arc de Rouen

Since 1979, this church stands on the Old Market Square where she was burned. It is both a church honoring St. Joan of Arc and a civil memorial with a cross and eternal flame in the courtyard. The outside is modern, designed by architect Louis Arretche, evoking the sea with a cover of scales in slate or copper. The roof of the church is meant to resemble an overturned Viking ship and consuming flames. Inside, there are remarkable stained glass windows of the old church Saint Vincent Renaissance. There are no relics of St. Joan of Arc.

Cross Monument Eglise outside Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc de Rouen

Eternal Flame at Base of the Cross outside Eglise Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc de Rouen

Front Facade of Eglise Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc de Rouen

Eglise Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc de Rouen downspout

Bust Statue of Joan of Arc

Michel Coste Statue of Joan of Arc

I paid €0,50 for an English brochure.

Joan of History and Message Brochure

Hours:

Monday to Thursday, Saturday : 10am to 12pm and from 14h to 18h

Friday and Sunday : 14h to 18h

Closed : 25 December and 1 January.

Rouen Cathedral

Joan of Arc was put on trial in the bishops’ palace, but we felt it fitting to visit the famous cathedral.

The highest spire in France, erected in 1876, a cast-iron tour-de-force rising 490 ft above the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Rouen. Claude Monet immortalized Rouen’s cathedral facade in his paintings.

Rouen Cathedral

A chapel is dedicated to Joan of Arc.

Joan of Arc Chapel in Rouen Cathedral

New Joan of Arc Museum in Rouen

Interior courtyard of the Bishop's palace Rouen

The kids loved these discovery booklets with puzzles, questions, activities, and information about the life and times of Joan of Arc and the city of Rouen.

Joan of Arc Museum Discovery Booklet for Kids

The Joan of Arc museum has projected videos and images that explain the story of Joan in each room of the bishop’s palace. It’s quite innovative and exciting and holds everyone’s attention really well.

There are statues and artifacts at the end of the tour.

We viewed the tower from the attic window.

Joan of Arc Museum

We bought a rare souvenir in the museum gift shop:

Joan of Arc and Rouen Book Souvenir

See info about Historial Jeanne d’Arc here.

Individual Tickets €9,50 or Family Ticket €26

Hours:

31 May to 1 October:

Tuesday to Sunday: 9.45 a.m.–7.45 p.m. (last visit begins at 6 p.m.)

1 June to 30 September

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday: 9.45 a.m.–7.45 p.m. (last visit begins at 6 p.m.)

Friday and Saturday: 9.45 a.m.–8.45 p.m. (last visit begins at 7 p.m.)

Joan of Arc Tower

This dungeon was part of the castle built in 1204 by Philippe Auguste. It is all that remains of the Rouen Castle. Joan was held prisoner here during her trial.

We didn’t have time to walk over to the tower, but we saw it from the window of the museum.

Tickets € 1.50

Free for children under 18

Hours:

1 April to 30 September

10am to 12.30pm and from 14h to 18h Monday through Saturday. From 14h to 18h30 on Sundays.

October 1 to March 31

10am to 12.30pm and from 14h to 17h Monday through Saturday. From 14 to 17.30 on Sundays.

Closed: Tuesdays and 1 January, 1 May, 1 and 11 November, 25 December.

Rouen is a fun town with lots to see and do, a nice market, and plenty of restaurants and shopping.

We would love to see Domrémy and Reims someday.

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