As you enter the library, you will pass by the statue of Joan of Arc.
As you enter the library, you will pass by the statue of Joan of Arc.
A great deal of mystery surrounds the statue of Joan of Arc. According to legend, around 1920 Radford University, along with each of Virginia’s three other teacher colleges, acquired a life-size plaster replica of Henri Chapu’s 1870 marble sculpture of Joan of Arc.
After years of
moving around campus, “Joan” came to rest in McConnell Library during the
late 1960’s. There she remained until 1983 when she was relegated
to storage to make room for the library’s growing book collection.
In August of 1992, she was re-discovered in an attic storage room and installed
on the porch of Russell Hall. “Joan” made her return to McConnell
Library in September of 1995, on the occasion of the inauguration of Radford
University’s fifth president, Dr. Douglas Covington.
The background mural framing “Joan” was painted by William Rogers of Christiansburg, VA.
As you walk past Joan to the right, you will enter the Circulation Hall.