Joan Of Arc Project

2 days ago

Our 2016 Queen Sandra Savoye Dartus Horwitz was in Milan this week and sent us this picture of a Joan of Arc statue on the Duomo!

A quick Google search revealed the fascinating backstory…

“The statue of St. Joan of Arc was added to the Milan Duomo primarily as a monument to post-World War II reconstruction and resilience.

While it takes nearly 600 years to build and decorate a cathedral with over 3,400 statues, her specific addition comes down to wartime history:

During the bombings of World War II, Spire G57 was the only spire on the entire cathedral that was completely leveled and destroyed (the other 134 suffered only partial damage).

When the cathedral's restoration committee (Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo) redesigned the missing spire in the 1950s, they intentionally chose figures that represented themes of war, bravery, and survival.

Sculptor Tullio Figini modeled Joan of Arc between 1955 and 1956. She was selected because her legacy combines a fierce soldier in armor with the innocent face of a young girl, perfectly capturing the tragedy and fighting spirit of a city rebuilding from conflict.

To reinforce this theme of survival, the architects placed a statue of Santa Barbara at the very base of Joan's spire. Santa Barbara is the patron saint of firefighters and the protector against sudden, violent death. “

Merci, Sandra, for revealing that there are even more Joan statues worldwide than we ever realized! While “Joanie on the Spire” doesn’t have the same ring, it’s still—Very In-SPIRE-ing!!🤭

We love receiving photos from krewe members and followers of your “I spy Joan” moments…keep them coming!

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