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Why was St. Joan of Arc declared a relapsed heretic?

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Painting by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres showing Joan of Arc in armor holding a banner at an altar during the coronation of Charles VII in Reims Cathedral, with figures praying behind her. — St. Joan of Arc *Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII in Reims Cathedral*, by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1854; in the Louvre, Paris.

St. Joan of Arc was declared a relapsed heretic primarily because she resumed wearing male attire and reaffirmed her belief in the divine origin of her voices after previously abjuring her claims.12

Following her initial conviction, Joan had been sentenced to perpetual imprisonment and ordered to wear women's clothing. However, only a few days later, her judges discovered her back in male attire. When questioned, Joan admitted that she had chosen to return to men's clothing of her own free will. Furthermore, she stated that the voices of St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Margaret of Antioch had censured her for her earlier abjuration, which she now condemned.12

These actions and statements were interpreted by the court as a formal relapse into heresy, leading the judges and assessors to unanimously agree that she must be handed over to secular authorities for execution.1