In November, 2010, les Compagnons have been registered by the UNESCO as being part of the representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The Companionship, based on methods and organizational structure originally initiated in the middle ages is a unique network for the transmission of knowledge and identity through the trades. It provides lifelong training which continually adapts to the evolution of social environment, while linking the development and the fulfillment of the individual, with the respect for universal values.

While some may believe that the Compagnons, keeping up so much with their traditions, are only concerned with the past, dedicated only to skills applicable to historical preservation, the reality is that efforts are also directed toward the future. In the past, only men were members of the Companionship but now women are fully admitted and companions believe that it is important to stay competent on an international level and develop creativity and innovation in all sectors of industry and crafts.

In June 2012, Robert Hotes, 2011 Richard Morris Hunt Fellow has been invited to join for some days the Compagnons. There, he has been exposed to their methods of transmitting knowledge which relies on two great principles:
Travel – helping to develop the individual through personal experiences in France and in the world ;
Sharing – encouraging the people who are learning to pass on their knowledge, not only using their skills in the trade.

Bob Hotes was following the path of many of the RMH American Fellows in residence in France.

We are proud and grateful of having been accepted as a “partner” in the training of the Compagnons du Devoir et du Tour de France.

In the historic center of Jaen, the architect Salvador Perez Arroyo, following the pure Castillan tradition of a plaza mayor submitted an innovative design for a square that sublimates the magnificent Renaissance facade of the Santa Maria cathedral, built on the site of a former mosque.

A brilliant example of 21st century Andalousian town planning: a long series of debates took place before the adoption of this plan for the new agora which might now be considered a model for all city squares.

The luminous cathedral facade soars upward ethereally from an empty space occupied by only seven fountains, illuminated at night, and punctuated by copper paving stones set out in the rhythm of the pillars in the nave of the church. Also in copper are the rays of an encrusted sun dial. The square has been paved in black Portuguese granite.

The abundant play of water effectively counterbalances the heat prevalent during certain months, thereby making the square a convivial, pleasant venue for the traditional paseo.