(Re)building the sacred landscape: Orleans, 1560 1610

The seizure and subsequent occupation of Orléans by theHuguenot forces in 1562–1563 and 1567–1568 was accompaniedby iconoclastic outbursts and the destruction of the religiouslandscape, which culminated in the demolition of the centraltower of the cathedral. This article examines the ways in whichthe religious and civic authorities reacted to this destructionand their attempts not only to bring about a renewal of thesacred landscape of the city but also to assert the importanceof Catholicism within that landscape. This was achieved againstthe background of the ongoing religious conflicts which wrackedFrance during the second half of the sixteenth century. Thearticle looks at how this was achieved not only through thereconstruction of the city's religious buildings but also throughthe use of religious rituals and sacred relics. Furthermore,a figure from the city's past, Jeanne d’Arc developedas a local cult symbolizing the triumph of Catholicism overthe Huguenots.