Église Saint-Jacques de Compiègne

Compiègne

Compiègne gave itself to Charles VII after the coronation and paid dearly for it: in the spring of 1430 the town was besieged by the Burgundians, who held Margny, Clairoix and Venette, on the other side of the Oise. Joan entered it on the morning of 23 May, coming from Crépy with a small troop of volunteers. The Compiègne tradition, taken up by the town's historical society, has it that she heard mass and took communion at Saint-Jacques before going out, and that she told the children gathered round her that she was betrayed; the scene is not in the trial records, and it must be read for what it is, a local memory fixed later. The fact itself is dated: at the end of the day she went out to attack the camp at Margny, her return was cut off, and she was taken in the ditches of the outwork that defended the bridgehead. The church, for its part, has not moved. Its choir and its nave are of the 13th century, its vaults were completed in 1477, its bell tower a little later: it is the only building in Compiègne where one stands under the same stones as in 1430.

Wikipédia — Église Saint-Jacques de Compiègne ↗

Getting there : Rue Saint-Jacques, in Compiègne, a step from the place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville and ten minutes' walk from the station. Open during the day, free and unguided entry. A statue of Joan of Arc by Marie d'Orléans stands in the building; guided tours of the town set out from the neighbouring tourist office.

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

Ambient sound