The Union Compagnonnique , which celebrated in 1989 the Centenary of its creation, is proud of its origins. It incarnates, indeed, the first succeeded attempt at gathering, in the same movement, companies of Companions and Duties that the different ones had separated so a long time and whose fratricidal fights had tarnished the membership of the same ideal. She wanted to register her philosophy of unit in her name.

History

In 1842, with Lyon, the “Old hand” of the Duties of Jacques Master and the Soubise Father, founded a Company of the Friends of Industry, with an aim of mutual help. Initially opened to the only children of Jacques Master, it accommodates in 1865 those of Solomon.

In 1864, in Lyon still, the Société of the Former Companions of all the Joined together Duties was born. It is it which, wanting to continue the work of Agricol Perdiguier, took the initiative of an immense banquet bringing together all the Companions, with the Rotonde the April 2nd 1865.

Under the impulse of White Lucien, Of Provence Solved, Companion Harness-maker-harnacheur of the Duty, these two Companies amalgamated in 1872.

In 1874, appeared a “Compagnonnique Federation” placed under patronage of the Three Founders. Article 6 of its statutes laid down: “All the Companions are equal, the rows, precedences are abolished”.

It is consisted the adhesion of twenty-seven companies of withdrawn Companions.

This Federation becomes the Union Compagnonnique in 1889.

All that was not done without evil, and the enumeration of all the congresses necessary to complete this work would be tiresome. But what imports, long roads, made company spirit and of unit will opened from now on with the Compagnonnique Union.

The first and second world war did not save it.

These tests were overcome, and the Union, if she does not claim to be the only heiress of the ideas of Agricol Perdiguier, car its pride to be the downward direct one of those which, the first, accommodated the message of this famous precursor.

Operation

The Compagnonnique Union whose national headquarter is with Versailles, in the House of the Italian Musicians, is a confederal organization whose operation is similar to that of the other movements with however of the particular characteristics:

• the nature of the professions represented: trades of the building, trades of mouth but also many trades of art, trades of leather and well of others still. A system of formation very personalized with well-sure of the collective courses organized by the Cayennes, of the conferences organized by the persons in charge of trades, but the essential component is the permanent dialog between companion and young person.
• the Compagnonnique Union accommodates the young people as from 16 years, having a minimum CAPE, after one period of observation and formation he becomes “Member” and after the realization of the first work he is “Suction”.
• to become Companion, it must be old less than 37 years and carry out a work of a very good technical level. Moreover, it must be of male sex, the women having been refused with the Congress of Ferns in 2005 currently. They do not have access to the trade-guild of the Compagnonnique Union.

• the houses which accommodate the Young people and instigate the lan of the members call of the “Cayennes”, they are directed by a President. A “mother” or a “Lady-hostess” deals of the reception and the lodging of the young people.

• Some local sections manage a museum, one of most important is that of Nantes: the Manor of the Haultière, the section of Paris manages of them one in the district of the Halles.
• From the structural point of view the Compagnonnique Union counts 25 local sections in France and Switzerland.
• last creations, the Section of Bordeaux in September 2000, as well as the Section of Sélestat in 2002, a news is envisaged soon in Belgium.