When people speak of initiatory societies tied to a trade, they think at once of Freemasonry. But France has a different tradition, older in its craft roots and still alive: compagnonnage. It is a system of vocational training and brotherhood in which the young craftsman learns his trade by travelling from city to city, welcomed by the compagnons and guided by rites, legends and symbols of their own.
What compagnonnage is
Compagnonnage brings together skilled workers from many trades: stonecutters, carpenters, joiners, smiths, tanners, roofers and many others. Unlike the medieval guilds, which were dominated by workshop masters, compagnonnage was an association of journeymen, the compagnons, who supported one another.
The first secure records date from the late Middle Ages and the early modern period, often through documents of condemnation: in the seventeenth century the Sorbonne and several church authorities censured the compagnons' ceremonies, judging them sacrilegious imitations of Christian rites. Paradoxically, these condemnations are among the most valuable sources for knowing their rituals.
The three families and their founding legends
The compagnons were divided into three great families, each linked to a legendary figure:
| Family | Legendary founder | Traditional trades |
|---|---|---|
| Children of Solomon | King Solomon | Stonecutters, joiners and others |
| Children of Maître Jacques | A master builder of the Temple | Stonecutters, joiners and many others |
| Children of Père Soubise | A carpenter of the Temple | Carpenters, roofers, plasterers |
The legends all revolve around the building of Solomon's Temple, as in Freemasonry. That of Maître Jacques tells of a master who, having returned to France after the work on the Temple, was betrayed and killed; his death is remembered in the rites. The legends obviously have no historical value, but they express the idea that the trade has a sacred origin.
The Tour de France
The heart of compagnonnage is the journey. The young aspirant leaves his home town and spends several years on the so-called Tour de France, working for different employers and learning regional techniques and styles. In each city he finds a compagnons' house, where he is welcomed, fed and helped to find work.
This house was traditionally run by the Mère, the "Mother", a woman responsible for lodging passing compagnons. The figure of the Mother, respected by all, remains one of the tradition's most characteristic features.
The masterpiece
To be received as a compagnon, the aspirant must produce a masterpiece, the chef-d'œuvre: a work demonstrating complete mastery of the trade. For a carpenter it might be a model of a spiral staircase or a complex roof structure; for a stonecutter, a piece of stereotomy of great difficulty.
The masterpiece is both a technical test and an initiatory one. Whoever completes it shows not only manual skill but also patience, rigour and the ability to transform matter according to a design.
The compagnons' symbols
Compagnonnage has a rich symbolic heritage:
- the canne, the decorated travelling staff, sign of the itinerant compagnon;
- the colours, ribbons of different hues worn on the hat or clothing, indicating family and rank;
- the compagnon name, often made up of the region of origin and a virtue, such as "Provençal la Fidélité";
- the tools of the trade, square and compasses first of all, which also appear in emblems.
Rivalry and reform
In the nineteenth century the different families were often in conflict, and the chronicles record violent brawls between rival groups. Against this tendency rose the voice of Agricol Perdiguier, a joiner from Avignon known as "Avignonnais la Vertu". In 1839 he published the Livre du compagnonnage, describing the tradition and calling for reconciliation among the compagnons.
The book caught the attention of the writer George Sand, who in 1840 published the novel The Journeyman Joiner (Le Compagnon du Tour de France), inspired by Perdiguier. It was an important moment in making compagnonnage known to the educated public.
Compagnonnage today
During the twentieth century compagnonnage reorganised itself into a few large associations that continue to train young craftsmen. In 2010 UNESCO inscribed it on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as a network for passing on knowledge and identities through a trade.
Initiation through work
Compagnonnage shows in exemplary fashion that initiation is not necessarily tied to hidden doctrines. Here the path runs through the journey, separation from home, learning under different masters and the making of a work. Labour itself becomes a way of inner formation, in line with an idea that the Western tradition has expressed in many forms.
In short
- Compagnonnage is a French tradition of brotherhood and training among skilled workers.
- Its three families look back to Solomon, Maître Jacques and Père Soubise.
- The Tour de France takes the aspirant to work in many cities, welcomed by the Mother.
- The masterpiece is both a technical and an initiatory test.
- Agricol Perdiguier promoted reconciliation in 1839; in 2010 UNESCO recognised it as intangible heritage.
