The Compagnons du Devoir (), full name Compagnons du Devoir et du Tour de France (), is a French organization of craftsmen and artisans dating from the Middle Ages. Their traditional, technical education includes taking a tour, the Tour de France, around France and doing apprenticeships with masters. For a young man or young woman today, the Compagnonnage is a traditional mentoring network through which to learn a trade while developing character by experiencing community life and traveling. The community lives in a Compagnon house known as a cayenne and managed by a mère (mother) or maîtresse (mistress), a woman who looks after the well-being of the residents,

History

The organization dates to medieval times, when the Compagnons built the churches and castles of France, and were persecuted by kings and the Catholic Church because they refused to live under the rules of either institution.

As a craftsman's guild, the Compagnonnage was banned by the National Assembly under the Le Chapelier Law of 1791, which was repealed in 1864.

During the German occupation of France during World War II, the Compagnons were persecuted by the Nazi occupiers, who thought they were related to the Freemasons.

Professions

  • stonecutter
  • mason
  • carpenter
  • roofer
  • plumber-heating engineer
  • locksmith-metalsmith
  • joiner
  • plasterer-patternmaker-fibrous plasterer
  • painter
  • upholsterer
  • cabinetmaker
  • gardener-landscape architect
  • cooper
  • body repairman
  • boiler maker
  • mechanic constructor
  • electrician
  • precision mechanic
  • blacksmith
  • farrier
  • cobbler
  • leather goods maker
  • harness maker
  • winemaker
  • baker
  • pastry chef

Notable Compagnons

  • Agricol Perdiguier, Avignonnais la Vertu (1805–1875), joiner.
  • Adolphe Clément-Bayard, c. 1871, blacksmith
  • Edmond Le Martin, blacksmith/farrier who hosted many travellers in Dunes. Father of aviator Léon Lemartin.
  • Joël Robuchon, who became the official chef of Compagnon du Tour de France, enabling him to travel throughout the country to learn a variety of diverse regional techniques. As a companion, he also became inculcated with the spirit of reaching moral, manual and physical perfection.
  • Eugène Milon, "Guépin le soutien de Salomon" (1859–1917) carpenter, Compagnon Charpentier Du Devoir De Liberté, was a close collaborator of Gustave Eiffel. He was site foreman of the Eiffel Tower.

In literature

The novel Le Compagnon du Tour de France was written by George Sand in 1840.

The book Études sur la Franc-Maçonnerie et le Compagnonnage (Studies in Freemasonry and the Compagnonnage) by René Guénon was published in 1964.

See also

  • Musée - Librairie du Compagnonnage

References

  • Official website of the Compagnons du Devoir
  • Official website of the museum of compagnonnage