The Conservatoire
Governance and transparency
Who we are in law, how we decide, and how we manage the funds entrusted to us.
Identity
| Name | Conservatoire du Patrimoine des Abbayes |
| Status | Non-profit association under the French law of 1 July 1901, declared to the prefecture of Tarn-et-Garonne on 16 March 2015 (Journal officiel of 28 March 2015, notice no. 1567) |
| Identifiers | RNA W822003942 · SIREN 822 233 367 · SIRET 822 233 367 00017 · APE 9103Z European Union Participant Identification Code (PIC): 862765046 |
| Registered office | Abbaye Saint-Pierre, 15 chemin de l’Abbaye, 82600 Mas-Grenier, France |
| Legal representative | The president of the association |
| Object | The knowledge, preservation, restoration and animation of the heritage of abbeys and monasteries, through research, training, publication, rescue worksites and cultural events. |
Governance
The association is administered according to its statutes, adopted by the founding general assembly of 15 March 2015.
It brings together the founding, active and honorary members. It meets at least once a year: the president reports on the state of the association, the treasurer accounts for his management and submits the accounts for approval, and the assembly then elects the board. Its proceedings are entered in a register kept at the registered office. Only an extraordinary general assembly may amend the statutes or dissolve the association, by a qualified majority of 75 per cent.
Three to five members elected by the general assembly for three years. It holds all powers of management and direction not reserved to the assembly. It meets at least once a year and as often as necessary; its decisions require half of its members to be present or represented, and are recorded in minutes signed by the president and the secretary.
Elected by the board from among its own members, by secret ballot: the president represents the association in all civil matters, carries out the decisions of the board and the assembly, and may delegate his signature; the secretary keeps the correspondence, the archives and the minutes; the treasurer receives income, makes payments under the president’s control, keeps proper accounts and reports to the general assembly.
The statutes expressly list grants from the European Union, the French state and the regional and local authorities among the association’s resources. Decisions committing public or European funds are taken by the competent bodies and recorded.
Financial management
- Separation of duties. Every payment relating to a funded project is authorised by two separate people.
- Qualified control. Financial control of funded projects is the responsibility of a chartered accountant and statutory auditor.
- Accounting by project. Each source of funding is tracked in separate accounts, with a file kept for audit.
- Use of gifts. Gifts are applied to the declared object. On dissolution, the net assets pass to associations pursuing similar aims (statutes, article 11).
- Conflicts of interest. Anyone in a position of conflict withdraws from the decision, and the withdrawal is recorded.
The annual accounts are presented by the treasurer and approved each year by the general assembly. They are provided to funders and supervisory authorities on request.
Policies
The 2026-2029 plan is adopted, signed by the president and published, with a referent, dedicated resources, indicators and annual reporting. Read the plan · PDF
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Recognitions
- Accredited for the French Service Civique since January 2021, renewed in November 2023.
- Approved beneficiary of Giving Europe, the cross-border philanthropy network.
- Member of the working group on the inclusion of Gregorian chant in the French national inventory of intangible cultural heritage, supported by the Ministry of Culture.
- A request for accreditation as a non-governmental organisation with the Committee of the 2003 UNESCO Convention is in preparation. The Conservatoire is not, to date, an accredited organisation.
Documents
The statutes, the activity report and the approved accounts are not published online. They are provided, on reasoned request, to funders, to supervisory authorities and to the bodies responsible for evaluating our projects.