Become a Member: Champion Romanesque Heritage in Upper Ariège
By joining the Association de Sauvegarde de l'Église Saint-Hilaire de Norgeat, you become an active co-guardian of living medieval history. Membership is not a commercial subscription; it is a profound act of civic solidarity that directly funds traditional lime mortars, stone conservation, and free public educational programs in Miglos.
Disinterested Associative Membership Guarantee
In strict conformity with French non-profit legislation, associative membership confers statutory civic rights—including deliberative voting privileges and access to institutional records—without creating any commercial transaction, product delivery, or pecuniary return. All membership dues are pooled into the general conservation fund of the church and are fully accounted for in audited annual balance sheets.
Statutory Membership Categories & Annual Contributions
Our Articles of Association provide three democratic tiers of annual membership contribution, designed to be accessible to all citizens regardless of their economic situation:
Reduced Rate Member (Adhérent Solidaire)
Reserved for students, apprentices, job seekers, and young adults under 25 years old. Grants full voting rights at the Annual General Assembly, receipt of quarterly field newsletters, and prioritized registration for volunteer conservation workshops.
Active Member (Membre Actif)
The standard civic membership tier for individuals committed to protecting Saint-Hilaire. Grants full deliberative and voting rights at the General Assembly, eligibility for election to the Board of Directors, and invitations to exclusive member discovery tours.
Benefactor Member (Membre Bienfaiteur)
For citizens, families, and cultural patrons wishing to provide critical financial momentum to our physical restoration funds. Includes full statutory rights plus a personalized official CERFA tax receipt providing a 66% French income tax reduction.
Democratic Rights & Privileges of Association Members
In our association, democracy is not a formality; it is our operating reality. In accordance with Article 6 of our statutory bylaws, every active member enjoys full institutional empowerment:
Your Rights as an Adherent
- Sovereign Voting Privilege: Every member holds one equal vote at the Annual Ordinary and Extraordinary General Assemblies, regardless of whether their annual contribution was € 10.00 or € 200.00.
- Deliberative Input: You may submit resolutions, propose historical research topics, and question the Board of Directors directly regarding conservation techniques, expenditures, or municipal relations.
- Right of Candidacy: After six months of active membership, any adherent of legal age may submit their candidacy for election to the Board of Directors, helping steer the future of the organization.
- Comprehensive Audit Access: Direct inspection of annual ledgers, supplier bills, and official correspondence with public bodies (DRAC, Prefecture, Mairie).
- Quarterly Dispatches: Receive the printed or digital Cahiers de Norgeat, our scholarly bulletin containing unpublished archival transcriptions, geological analysis, and restoration updates.
Specialized Associative Commissions: How Members Shape Action
Beyond participating in the annual sovereign vote, members are invited to join one or more of our five specialized working commissions. These collegiate working groups meet regularly to formulate project recommendations and drive our field operations:
Commission 1: Technical Masonry & Building Diagnostics
Chaired by Pierre Delmas, this commission analyzes structural sensor data, monitors fissure progression, plans seasonal lime repointing campaigns, coordinates tool maintenance, and liaises with consulting conservation architects and the Architectes des Bâtiments de France (ABF).
Commission 2: Archival Research & Historical Publications
Chaired by Élisabeth Martin, this research collective consults departmental archives in Foix and Toulouse, transcribes ancient Occitan parish terriers, records oral history interviews with Norgeat elders, and prepares scholarly monographs for public dissemination.
Commission 3: Pedagogical Mediation & Youth Outreach
Chaired by Sylvie Rameau, this group designs educational materials for regional primary and secondary schools, organizes guided architectural walks, trains volunteer tour guides, and coordinates European Heritage Days programming.
Commission 4: Landscape Care & Biodiversity Stewardship
Chaired by Laurent Vignaux, this team oversees chemical-free vegetation clearing around church footings, coordinates the seasonal maintenance of dry-stone parish retaining walls, and protects alpine wildlife habitats (such as bat roosts).
General Assembly Voting Protocols & Proxy Mandates
To ensure genuine democratic participation regardless of geographic distance, our statutory bylaws allow members who cannot physically attend the General Assembly in Miglos to exercise their voting rights through formal postal or digital proxy ballots (pouvoirs de représentation).
In accordance with Article 6.3 of our bylaws, each active member present may hold a maximum of three proxy mandates from fellow adherents. All voting issues—including the approval of audited financial statements, the adoption of annual membership fees, and the election of board officers—are decided by a majority of votes cast by members present or represented. Complete assembly minutes, containing full voting tallies and moral reports, are published within fifteen days of the assembly on this portal and mailed to all adherents.
Absence of Direct Commercial Quid-Pro-Quo (Principe de Non-Contrepartie)
Under French administrative and tax jurisprudence, membership dues in a non-profit association of general interest cannot be treated as payment for commercial goods or consumer services. Your membership contribution does not purchase commercial entertainment or private utility. Instead, it constitutes a disinterested financial donation that empowers the association to fulfill its non-profit statutory purpose: safeguarding the historical and architectural heritage of Saint-Hilaire de Norgeat for the benefit of all citizens.
Where Does Your Contribution Go? Direct Tangible Impact
Because we operate without paid staff or commercial overhead, your annual dues translate immediately into tangible physical conservation materials on site:
- A € 10.00 membership purchases 25 kg of certified natural hydraulic lime (NHL 2) from regional Occitanie kilns, repointing approximately 1.5 square meters of ancient schist masonry.
- A € 20.00 membership funds the acquisition of traditional hand stone chisels, safety eye protection, and heavy cotton gloves for a student volunteer during our summer work camp.
- A € 50.00 membership enables the replacement of three cracked Pyrenean roof slates (lauzes) with custom copper hooks on the vulnerable eastern apse eaves, preventing water infiltration for decades.
- A € 100.00 contribution covers comprehensive collective insurance and technical safety supervision for five apprentice volunteers during an entire weekend conservation session.
Official Membership Application & Renewal Form
Join our civic collective today. Complete the secure declaration below. Following submission, General Secretary Élisabeth Martin will mail your official Membership Welcome Dossier and provide payment instructions (by bank transfer/virement or postal check made payable to Association de Sauvegarde de l'Église Saint-Hilaire de Norgeat).