In the Roman Catholic religion, saints are regarded with immense respect. Saints are still a key part of the lives of those who are religiously devout. What some people may not think about, however, is the actual process that takes place to arrive at sainthood. For some historical figures it may not take very long, but for others it may take centuries. This was the unfortunate case of Joan of Arc, a young heroine whose life was exciting but ultimately turned tragic. Although Joan of Arc's short life was undeniably heroic and full of importance, the most significant event occurred after her death; Hundreds of years of work, from the discovery of his innocence to the declaration of his canonization, took place on his journey to sainthood. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Joan of Arc lived in Domrémy-la-Pucelle, France with her mother, father, and two brothers. He also had a sister who died at the age of sixteen. Neighbors labeled Joan as particularly religious, which demonstrates her undeniable devotion to her Lord very early in her life. At the age of twelve, however, Joan's world changed when she began to have visions. She later claimed to have believed the visions were of an angel, but during her trial she was forced to say that these visions had the voices of St. Catherine, St. Margaret, and St. Michael. Strange as these visions may have seemed to young Joan, she listened to the mission they had reserved for her; her visions told her that she would be the savior of France. Steve Bonta stated: "The illiterate peasant girl, Joan of Arc, began at an early age to have visions, which she attributed to God, informing her that she would be an instrument to liberate France." Joan was the chosen one sent to drive out the English and crown the true king, Charles the Dauphin. The unwavering devotion that Joan possessed for this mission is actually what led her down the path to her death. Eighteen years after Joan of Arc's execution, King Charles began to have doubts about how her trial would proceed. He entrusted the task of investigating the trial to his advisor, Guillame Bouillé. After re-interviewing all the witnesses and their testimonies, Bouillé came to the conclusion that the first trial had been a farce and even declared it null and void. Along with this came worries about his king, so he was sure to inform Charles about what needed to be done next. The text says: “In his summary he indicated that the King should not be associated with a person who has been condemned as a witch and that a review should be undertaken as soon as possible.” Justice for Joan was slowly but surely coming, as the next step was the rehabilitation process. This retrial was intended to shed light on any new evidence that might prove that the original decision on Joan's guilt was incorrect. Four exams took place in Paris, Orleans, Domrémy and Rouen; in the new trial the evidence of those tests emerged which was a fundamental part of the final verdict. The original trial was deemed invalid because the judges involved were too biased. Another problem was the fact that the procedure was not followed all the time. Joan was pardoned on those charges, but some didn't care to point out that she shouldn't have been charged in the first place. In his book, Thiel says, “Joan was forgiven for sins she never committed but was convicted of.” Joan was accused, tried and executed due to the prejudice that fewthey had towards her, superior to the faith and love that others had in her. Before the process of sainthood is revealed, it is important to know exactly what a saint is; a saint is defined as a person who is recognized as holy and is typically considered to be in heaven after death. It is evident that Joan was a saint from the moment her soul left this earth. Mary Gordon explains: «Joan of Arc was a virgin and died for what she believed in, but she does not fit the type of the virgin martyr. . . he is like all the great saints, a brilliant personality.' Holiness requires that various steps be taken so that the process can be completed properly. One of the most important steps is known as beatification. Beatification occurs when a Pope declares that a deceased being is in a state of bliss. Typically four miracles are needed for beatification to be ensured, but Pope Pius IX granted dispensation for one miracle because Joan had succeeded in saving France. Now three miracles were enough to connect to Joan, and in the end they all came from three nuns living in France. Sister Teresa recovered from leg ulcers, Sister Giulia from a cancerous breast ulcer and Sister Marie from stomach cancer. The Pope considered all this to be authentic and accepted it. Joan of Arc was officially declared blessed on April 11, 1909. The next stepping stone to sainthood is canonization. Canonization is the final step in the process and the official admission of a deceased person to sainthood. Even after the three miracles required for beatification, for canonization to be granted, two more will need to be authenticated. According to the text: "Joan of Arc was credited with two miracles that sealed her sainthood: the healing of tuberculosis and the healing of a hole in the sole of a woman's foot." Joan of Arc was canonized on May 16, 1920 and the celebration took place in St. Peter's Basilica. While achieving canonization was a huge victory for Joan of Arc's legacy and her supporters, it's hard to ignore the fact that it took four grueling centuries to get to that point. Joan of Arc still proves to be relevant in today's society. It represents and serves as an excellent example of true courage. Joan began her heroic journey when she was a young girl of just fourteen, and it took a tremendous amount of courage to face grown men and fend off all their attempts to lure her away from her mission. Even when her family, her group of men, and her country didn't believe in her, she still managed to move forward. Joan also showed the importance of faith. Every decision the young hero made, she made sure to base it on what would please her God. Even as a young girl, when she began to have visions, no matter how unusual they seemed, she agreed to carry out their plans for her in order to to obey his Lord. Joan shows total devotion throughout her life, even her last breath was used to plead with God. If you were to examine the life of Joan of Arc, you would undoubtedly notice that her entire life was influenced by her faith and she had no qualms about letting the whole world know how much it meant to her. Because even when she was challenged for letting her faith guide her, she didn't let it overcome her perseverance. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay While Joan of Arc was known for challenging the gender roles common in her time period, she also managed to have enough influence to get her country back on the right path during the war. His accolades alone are enough to.