View source for The Abjuration Cedula

On Thursday, May 25, 1431, after a public sermon violently admonishing her, and sat upon a platform as a clear reference to a stake, Joan signed a statement of "Abjuration" that admitted her errors. The problem is that the document presented by the Rouen Trial of Condemnation Court was not the one Joan signed. What she signed was short, perhaps six or seven lines long,<ref>See Murray, p. 198, testimony from the Trial of Rehabilitation of a priest and Trial notary, Nicolas Taquel</ref> according to a Trial notary, or no longer than a Pater Noster, according to another witness.<ref>See Pernoud, Her Story, p. 233</ref>

Here is the document that was substituted for what was read and that she signed, but was declared her admission of wrong and disseminated widely, including to be sent to the Pope.

Reproduced here is the 

== The Abjuration Cedula ==
From the transcript of the Trial of Condemnation, Thursday. May 24, 1431

=== Translation by T. Douglas Murray<ref>Murray, pp. 130-132</ref> ===
Then, in the presence of all the aforenamed, in presence of an immense number of people and Clergy, she did make and utter her recantation and abjuration, following a formula written in French, which was read to her ; a formula which she did pronounce herself, and the schedule of which she did sign with her own hand, and of which the tenour follows :

"All who have erred and been mistaken in the Christian Faith and, by the grace of God, have since returned into the light of truth and the unity of Our Holy Mother Church, should well guard themselves that the Evil One doth not drive them back and cause them to relapse into error and damnation. For this cause, I, Jeanne, commonly called the Maid, a miserable sinner, after that I had recognized the snares of error in the which I was held, and [after] that, by the grace of God, I had returned to our Holy Mother Church, in order that it may be seen that, not feigningly but with a good heart and good will, I have returned thereto ; I confess that I have most grievously sinned, in pretending untruthfully to have had revelations and apparitions from God, from the Angels, and Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret; in seducing others ; in believing foolishly and lightly ; in making superstitious divinations ; in blaspheming God and His Saints ; in breaking the Divine Law, Holy Scripture, and the lawful Canons ; in wearing a dissolute habit, mis-shapen and immodest and against the propriety of nature, and hair clipped ' en ronde ' in the style of a man, against all the modesty of the feminine sex ; also, in bearing arms in great presumption ; in cruelly desiring the effusion of human blood ; in saying that all these things I did by the command of God, the Angels, and the aforesaid Saints, and that in these things I did well and was not mistaken ; in despising God and His Sacraments ; in making seditions ; and in being idolatrous, by adoring evil spirits and invoking them. I confess also that I have been schismatic and in many ways have erred from the Faith. The which crimes and errors, from my heart and without lying, I — by the grace of Our Lord, returned into the way of truth, by the holy doctrine and good counsel of you and the Doctors and Masters who have conveyed it to me — abjure as blasphemy and renounce them all, and depart therefrom. And upon all these things aforesaid I submit to the correction, disposal, amendment, and entire decision of our Holy Mother Church and of your good justice. Also I swear and promise to you, to my Lord Saint Peter, Prince of the Apostles, to our Holy Father the Pope of Rome, his Vicar, and his successors, and to you, my Lords, the reverend Father in God my Lord the Bishop of Beauvais, the religious person, Brother Jean Lemaître, Deputy of my Lord the Inquisitor of the Faith, as my Judges, that never, by any exhortation or other manner, will I return to the aforesaid errors, from which it hath pleased Our Lord to deliver and take me ; but always I will remain in union with our Holy Mother Church and in the obedience of our Holy Father the Pope of Rome. And this I say, affirm, and swear, by God Almighty and by the Holy Gospels.

" And in sign of this, I have signed this schedule with my signature. (Signed thus) : Jehanne +."


Translation by 

'''Jeanne's Abjuration'''

“ All those who have erred and been at fault in the Chriflian faith and have by God s grace returned to the light of truth and unity of Our Holy Mother Church, should vigilantly prevent the Enemy of Hell from driving them back and causing their relapse into error and damnation Therefore, I, Jeanne, commonly called The Maid, a miserable sinner, recognizing the snares of error in which I was held, and being by God s grace returned to Our Holy Mother Church, in order to show that my return is made not feignedly but with a good heart and will, I confess that I have moft grievously sinned in falsely pretending to have had revelations and apparitions from God, His angels, St Catherine and St Margaret , in seducing others , in believing foolishly and lightly , in making superftitious divinations, in blaspheming God and His Saints , in breaking the divine law. Holy Scripture, and the canon laws , in wearing a dissolute, ill-shaped and immodest dress againft the decency of nature, and hair cropped round like a man’s, againfl all the modefly of womankind , also in bearing arms most presumptuously , in cruelly desiring the shedding of human blood , in declaring that I did all these things by the command of God, His angels and the said saints, and that to do so was good and not to err , in being seditious and idolatrous, adoring and calling up evil spirits I confess also that I have been schismatic and in many ways have erred from the path These crimes and errors, I, being by God s grace returned to the way of truth through the holy doftrine and good counsel of yourself and the doftors and masters whom you sent me, unfeignedly and with a good heart abjure and recant, renouncing and cutting myself off from them all Upon all the aforesaid things I submit to the correftion, disposition, amendment and entire decision of Our Holy Mother Church and of your good juftice And I vow, swear and promise to you, to my lord Saint Peter, Prince of the Apostles, to Our Holy Father the Pope of Rome, his vicar and his successors, to you, my lords, to the lord bishop of Beauvais and the religious brother Jean Le Mai^lre, vicar of the lord Inquisitor of the faith, my judges, that I will never through exhortation or other means return to the afoiesaid errors, from which it has pleased God to deliver and remove me ; but will always dwell in the unity of Our Holy Mother Church and the obedience of our Holy Father the Pope of Rome. This I say, affirm and swear by God almighty and the holy Gospels. In sign whereof I have signed this schedule with my mark ”

Signed “ Jlhanne ”.