Museum of the Brotherhood, Museum in Tours, France
The Musée du Compagnonnage is a museum in Tours, France, dedicated to the craft guilds known as compagnonnage. It is set in the old dormitory of the Saint-Julien abbey, next to the church of the same name, and displays tools, clothing, documents, and handmade masterworks from a wide range of trades.
The museum was founded in 1910 by Georges Jaquet, who was himself a compagnon, and moved into the Saint-Julien abbey buildings in 1968. The collection grew over the decades through donations from guild members and now covers several centuries of craft tradition.
Compagnonnage is a tradition where young craftspeople travel across France to train in different workshops and earn their status. The museum displays the badges, clothing, and symbols that each trade group uses to mark its members.
The museum sits in the heart of Tours, right next to the Saint-Julien church, and is easy to reach on foot from the city center. Since the building has no air conditioning, a visit on cooler days or in the early morning hours works better in summer.
Some of the masterworks on display were never meant to be used in practice but were made solely to prove a craftsman's skill when applying to join a guild. They show techniques at a miniature scale that would never appear in everyday work.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
