The medieval birthplace of Jeanne d'Arc in Domrémy-la-Pucelle

The 15th-century house in Domrémy-la-Pucelle, Lorraine, France, where Jeanne d'Arc was born, is a medieval-style dwelling. It was classified as a historic monument in 1840 and was strongly modified from 1767 by the Gérardin family. Jeanne d'Arc was born around 1412; she spent her childhood here and heard the celestial voices of saints Catherine of Alexandria, Margaret of Antioch, and the Archangel Michael. The Arc family were the original inhabitants, but they vacated in the 16th century, selling the house to Louise de Stainville, comtesse de Salm.

The house passed through several owners, including Germain Toussaint in 1611, before its history became unknown during the troubles of the 17th century. In 1700, the house became part of the dowry of Nicole Floquet and entered the heritage of the Gérardin family. Famous visitors included the philosopher Michel de Montaigne in 1580 and the Lorrain historian Dom Calmet in a later century. In 1818, the Conseil général des Vosges purchased the house from Nicolas Gérardin. It was then restored by Jean-Baptiste Jollois, chief engineer of the department, who demolished surrounding buildings to highlight it within a wooded garden.

The house was the first site to acquire historic monument status in 1840, not for its architectural features, but because of its original owner. On the main facade, above the entrance, a niche was created where a statue of Jeanne d'Arc, kneeling in armor, was installed in 1839. This is a cast iron copy of a statue kept at the 'Visages de Jeanne' interpretation center. A neoclassical monument, a fountain in the shape of a portico, was also funded by King Louis XVIII in 1820 and stands on a nearby square.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons