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.
​​