The Confrérie des jongleurs et bourgeois d'Arras was a

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

of ''

jongleur A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. The term originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist enterta ...

s'' founded in

Arras Arras ( , ; ; historical ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department, which forms part of the region of Hauts-de-France; before the reorganization of 2014 it was in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The historic centre of the Artois region, with a ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, in or around 1175. As its name implies, it was intended for ''jongleurs'' (not just

trouvère ''Trouvère'' (, ), sometimes spelled ''trouveur'' (, ), is the Northern French ('' langue d'oïl'') form of the '' langue d'oc'' (Occitan) word ''trobador'', the precursor of the modern French word '' troubadour''. ''Trouvère'' refers to po ...

s) and the

bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie ( , ) are a class of business owners, merchants and wealthy people, in general, which emerged in the Late Middle Ages, originally as a "middle class" between the peasantry and aristocracy. They are traditionally contrasted wi ...

, not just the

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ly class. It also did not hold poetic contests. In these ways it was distinct from the Puy d'Arras.

Description

The foundation of the Confrérie is enshrined in legend, according to which two debating ''jongleurs'', unable to settle their differences, were approached by the

Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, who sent them to Arras, which was under the curse of the plague. There they were to adjudicate their dispute before the

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame. Once there, the Virgin again appeared and handed them a candle, the S''ainte chandelle'' of tradition, the melted wax from which, mingled with water, was found to heal the wounds of those afflicted with the plague, 144 that first night. In gratitude and out of praise, the ''jongleurs'' founded a ''confrérie'' to safeguard the candle and celebrate the religious feasts. Shortly thereafter, and quite historically, a tower was built to house the candle, which generated a sizeable profit from pilgrims. The Confrérie was, at the beginning, a lay religious institute. Its statutes provided for

last rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. The Commendation of the Dying is practiced in liturgical Chri ...

, funeral services for deceased members, and a common supply of food for poorer members. Open to both men and women, it functioned through membership fees and annual dues. Members had also to swear an oath, after which they could participate in the election of the head ''confrére'' and his officers, who monitored members' activities to ensure compliance with the statutes. The most important document for the history of the Confrérie is the

necrology An obituary ( obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Ac ...

that records the deaths of members from 1194 to 1361.

Adam de la Halle Adam de la Halle (1245–50 – 1285–8/after 1306) was a French poet-composer '' trouvère''. Among the few medieval composers to write both monophonic and polyphonic music, in this respect he has been considered both a conservative and pro ...

and Jehan Erart were members.

References

*O'Neill, Mary (2006). ''Courtly Love Songs of Medieval France: Transmission and Style in the Trouvère Repertoire''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. *Slocum, Kay Brainerd (1995). "''Confrerie'', ''Bruderschaft'' and Guild: The Formation of Musicians' Fraternal Organisations in Thirteenth- and Fourteenth-Century Europe." ''Early Music History'', 14:257–74. {{DEFAULTSORT:Confrerie des jongleurs et bourgeois d'Arras Music organizations based in France Guilds in France Confraternities Religious (Catholicism)