Compagnons du Devoir

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Compagnons du Devoir
Place Saint-Gervais
Quartier Saint-Gervais, 4th arrondissement
Paris, July 2005

“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, of which there are more than 80 in France. The houses vary in size from a small house for five people to a larger one with more than 100 people living together. Until recently, the compagnons were all male. Today, they can be found in 49 countries across five continents, practising many different trades. A similar tradition exists for German Wandergesellen, or journeymen, to set out on the Wanderjahre. ‘Tour de France’ simply refers to the fact that the Compagnons travel throughout France; every six months to a year they are required to change work locations. This is unrelated to the Tour de France cycling competition. The word compagnon (companion) is derived from the Old French compaignon, a person with whom one breaks bread.” (Compagnons du Devoir, Wikipedia)