Église Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc de Lunéville

Lunéville

It is a fortress-church, bristling with bartizans, battlements and machicolations, as if sprung from the 15th century of Joan of Arc — and yet it was born in 1911. Lunéville wanted to give its devotion to Joan a vessel worthy of it: the architect Jules Criqui designed this medieval-looking sanctuary, and Pope Pius X granted an exceptional dispensation for it to be placed under the patronage of Joan, then merely beatified (1909) and not yet canonised. It was thus the first church in the world dedicated to Joan of Arc — in that part of Lorraine which had remained French and had made the shepherdess of Domrémy the face of national hope. The treasure is inside: 28 stained-glass windows, almost all of which unfold the life of Joan, from her birth to her beatification, in life-size figures. Made in the early 20th century in the spirit of the École de Nancy, this 400 m² cycle is regarded as the largest ensemble of Joan of Arc stained glass in the world: Art Nouveau lends its interlacing to the banners, the armour and the voices of Domrémy. Built after the law of 1905, the church receives no public funding for its upkeep; an association of friends, founded in 2021, watches over this jewel, registered as a historic monument, and opens it to visitors. A stone's throw from the château of the Lorraine Enlightenment, the "fortress of Joan" offers a unique pilgrimage in images, between faith, memory of the frontier and the total art of 1900.

Getting there : 27 quai de Strasbourg, Lunéville, on the bank of the Vezouze, a few minutes' walk from the château. Open during services, on the Heritage Days (Journées du patrimoine) and for tours organised by the Association des Amis de sainte Jeanne d'Arc; enquire at the town hall or with the association. Approximate coordinates on the quai de Strasbourg.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

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