Joan of Arc is a favorite of mine, so I had to take this picture--particularly when I read the inscription stating that it was here, at Notre Dame, that her reputation was restored and she was granted sainthood. Joan of Arc was originally tried for heresy ( a politically motivated trial) and according to later documents the trial records of her testimony were altered to make the charge stick. She was very intelligent and was not easily caught in any lines of heresy.

Joan was known to wear men's clothing during her leadership in war. When she was tried she agreed to wear women's clothing and was subsequently raped in prison. She then went back to wearing men's clothing. She was burned at the stake in 1431, and even that wasn't enough. They burned her ashes and bones twice more to make sure no one could collect any relics. It wasn't until 1456 that a reopening of the case found her innocent and she was made a saint shortly thereafter.