The square where Joan of Arc met her fate — and the immersive museum that brings her story to life a few streets away.
On 30 May 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake on the Place du Vieux-Marché. A simple cross and a memorial garden now mark the spot, in what is today a lively square with a covered market — great for Norman cheese, cider and produce (see Rouen food specialities).
Rising over the square is the bold modern Église Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc (1979), its sweeping roof evoking flames — and an upturned ship. Inside, it shelters a magnificent set of 16th-century Renaissance stained-glass windows, saved from a church destroyed in the war.
A short walk away, beside the cathedral, the Historial Jeanne d'Arc is an immersive, theatrical museum set in the former Archbishop's Palace — the very building where Joan's trials were held. Projections and storytelling trace her life, condemnation and the myth she became. (Ticketed; allow about an hour.)
Combine the square and the Historial with the rest of her Rouen story in our guide to Joan of Arc in Rouen, and the other sights in things to do in Rouen.