Maid of Orléans

Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel  (1850–1913)   
Title: The Trial of Joan of Arc (Joan of Arc series: VI)
Date: c. late 1909-early 1910
Medium: oil and gold leaf on canvas
Dimensions: 75.57 × 171.45 cm (29 3/4 × 67 1/2 in.)
Collection: National Gallery of Art   
Accession number: 2015.19.39
Credit line: Corcoran Collection (William A. Clark Collection)
Source/Photographer: https://purl.org/nga/collection/artobject/195567

Wikipedia
“Soon after the siege of Orléans was lifted, Jean Gerson said that Joan’s male clothes and haircut were appropriate for her calling, as she was a warrior, and men’s clothes were more practical.
“Cross-dressing may have helped her maintain her virginity by deterring rape and signaling her unavailability as a sexual object; scholars have stated that when she was imprisoned, wearing men’s clothes would have only been a minor deterrent to rape as she was shackled most of the time.
“For most of her active life, Joan did not cross-dress to hide her gender. Rather, it may have functioned to emphasize her unique identity as La Pucelle [virgin or maiden], a model of virtue that transcends gender roles and inspires people.”
The angels are genderless, not people.
Joan said that God and the angels commanded her to wear men’s clothes. A lying saint? Don’t think so.
Male and female saints are not historical footnotes. They are alive. Who do you think populates Heaven? Your pet cat? Our Lord did not come down, your cat to rescue.
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