You’ve likely heard of St. Joan of Arc’s epic battles, but did you know her greatest champion might have been her own mother?
Meet Isabelle Romée, the devoted woman who refused to let her daughter’s burning at the stake have the final word!
In 1431, Joan was condemned under questionable charges and executed in Rouen, France. Most assumed her story ended with the flames. Isabelle, however, recognized her daughter as innocent and set out to prove it.
She tirelessly collected statements from priests and townsfolk who had known Joan. Traveling across France, city by city, she obtained affidavits that confirmed Joan’s virtues. Some days, the effort must have seemed impossible for a grieving mother. Still, she pressed on. Their testimonies showed how different personal motives twisted the trial. Many had shared they witnessed Joan’s faith firsthand.
At one point, Isabelle petitioned Pope Nicholas V directly, bearing proof of the unfair proceedings. She requested a formal retrial to clear Joan of all charges. The Pope responded by appointing a special commission to investigate in 1449.
Even when frail at the age 70, Isabelle stood before a delegation of the Holy See in Paris and declared: “I had a daughter, born in legitimate marriage, whom I fortified worthily with the sacraments, and raised in the fear of God.”
Finally, in 1456, Joan’s earlier sentence was declared invalid. Isabelle lived to see the victory she prayed for, and her devotion paved the way for the Church to recognize Joan as a saint.
Indeed, we might have never known Joan’s full story without her mother’s fight for truth. One can only imagine the faith that carried them both—proving that a parent’s love is the very stuff of miracles!
Photo credit: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
