 This kind of financing required the sustained initiative of persons interested in the project, typically the heads of the local trading houses, who got together in a "confrèrie" (corresponding to a present-day syndicate or citizens' initiative) in order to collect the funds over the prolonged period of time required for the execution of the project.Such a "confrèrie" had nothing to do with a religious order or even less with a monastery, save that often monasteries were asked to audit the use of the funds since they were one of the very few institutions capable of rendering such services.The construction works were executed by professional builders not related to any religious order.