Our Mission
Demeure Historique serves the public interest by supporting the preservation, protection, and revitalization of privately owned historic monuments and heritage sites across the nation. Functioning as a vital expert network and advocate for historical architecture, the organization provides essential technical guidance, legal expertise, and conservation advice to heritage custodians undertaking complex structural restoration projects. Through public educational programs, heritage awareness campaigns, and community engagement initiatives, the association highlights the cultural and economic importance of architectural preservation, encouraging open public access to historic homes and gardens. By safeguarding these physical historical landmarks and fostering sustainable management practices, the entity enriches national cultural heritage, boosts regional tourism, and ensures that historic private residences remain preserved as public educational assets for present and future generations.
All membership fees and dues are fully reinvested in the association's public interest missions. In accordance with Article 8 of our statutory bylaws, all members of the Board of Directors, executive bureau officers, and scientific advisors perform their institutional governance duties strictly on a voluntary, unremunerated basis (benevolat strict). No member receives stock options, director fees (jetons de presence), or private commercial percentages.
The Principle of Selfless Civic Leadership
Recognized as a public-utility organization (Reconnaissance d'Utilite Publique), our institutional governance is designed to prevent conflicts of interest, protect public funds, and maintain absolute independence from commercial lobbying.
The Association's supreme governing authority is the annual General Assembly of Members, convening delegates from every historic province. The General Assembly approves the certified annual financial statements, sets multi-year strategic priorities, and elects the twenty-four members of the Board of Directors through secret ballot.
The Board of Directors meets quarterly to review technical diagnostic allocations, emergency conservation grants, and nationwide educational initiatives. An independent Statutory Auditor (Commissaire aux Comptes) audits all bank accounts, grant receipts, and expenses, submitting an unreserved public report presented directly to the General Assembly and transmitted to the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Culture.
Directory of the Board of Directors (Conseil d'Administration)
Elected civic trustees serving without financial compensation to safeguard architectural heritage across the nation.
Olivier de Lorgeril
Elected Trustee • Volunteer Mandate
Heritage custodian and experienced administrator with thirty years of civic leadership in rural economic revitalization. Overvseeing national strategic direction, institutional relations with the Ministry of Culture, and European heritage alliances. Serves in a voluntary capacity without remuneration.
Claire de Cossé-Brissac
Elected Trustee • Volunteer Mandate
Specialist in historic landscape preservation and classical parterre conservation. Coordinates regional delegations in Pays de la Loire and Brittany, advising botanical gardens on water-resilient historical horticulture and public educational trails.
Bertrand de Vogue
Elected Trustee • Volunteer Mandate
Architectural historian and advocate for public opening charters. Leads our national dialogue on fire prevention, slate roof engineering, and emergency storm salvage across the Grand Est and Hauts-de-France territories.
Marc de Beauvau-Craon
Director of Operations • Executive Seat
Overseeing daily non-profit operations, technical advisory dispatches, and inter-association coordination from our registered headquarters at Chateau de Reverseaux. Directs the scientific diagnostic team and educational publications.
Henri-François de Pontavice
Elected Officer • Volunteer Mandate
Certified financial auditor and non-profit governance specialist. Supervises statutory account balances, grant compliance, and strict reinvestment of all membership dues into public interest missions.
Beatrice de Montmirail
Elected Officer • Volunteer Mandate
Legal scholar specializing in public heritage law, statutory non-profit compliance, and municipal cooperative agreements. Coordinates formal filings with regional prefectures and maintains official association minutes.
Dr. Jean-Pierre de Chateaubriand
Architecte en Chef Honoraire • Scientific Advisor
Distinguished chief architect of historic monuments, emeritus researcher in medieval stone vaulting and Romanesque masonry. Presides over our peer-reviewed technical publications and diagnostic protocol evaluations.
Eleonore d'Harcourt
Elected Trustee • Volunteer Mandate
Pedagogical researcher dedicated to making historical residences accessible for rural schoolchildren. Directs our non-profit educational booklets, tactile discovery exhibits, and volunteer mentoring camps.
Guillaume de Saint-Germain
Master Craftsman Guild Partner • Volunteer Mandate
Master timber framer and Compagnon du Devoir, advocating for youth apprenticeships in ancient building crafts. Coordinates on-site masterclasses pairing young artisans with designated monument sites.
Statutory Democratic Procedures of the General Assembly
The democratic legitimacy of Demeure Historique relies upon strict adherence to internal bylaws registered under French law. Every member in good standing, whether an active owner-custodian, an architectural researcher, or an individual heritage friend, holds voting rights in the annual General Assembly.
Convocation notices and official agenda items are dispatched at least thirty calendar days prior to the assembly, accompanied by the detailed financial report of the Treasurer, the moral report of the President, and the independent auditor’s certification. To ensure complete democratic expression, members unable to attend in person at our assembly venue may submit postal voting ballots or designated proxies, capped at a maximum of three proxy votes per present member to prevent bloc dominance.
Ordinary resolutions, such as the approval of annual accounts and the adoption of the operating budget, require a simple majority of votes cast. Extraordinary resolutions, which encompass statutory modifications, amendments to our public interest charter, or affiliations with international conservation bodies, require a qualified two-thirds majority and must receive subsequent validation from the Ministry of the Interior and the Council of State.
The Trustee Ethical Pledge
Prior to assuming office, every newly elected member of the Board of Directors signs our solemn Ethical Pledge of Non-Commerciality. Under this binding pledge, trustees formally declare:
- Complete absence of commercial, financial, or industrial conflicts of interest with restoration contractors, engineering firms, or insurance brokers.
- Strict non-remuneration for all governance, representation, and supervisory duties performed on behalf of the Association.
- Mandatory recusal from any deliberation or vote involving a monument or historical property in which the trustee or their direct relatives hold proprietary interest.
- Absolute commitment to reinvesting all institutional surpluses into public interest preservation, technical diagnostics, and civic education.
Internal Supervisory Committees & Ethical Safeguards
Three specialized internal committees maintain strict oversight over our decisions, expenditures, and conservation ethics.
The Ethics & Deontology Board
Anti-Commercial RigorGuarantees that no commercial sponsorship compromises the historical integrity or public mission of affiliated monuments. The board reviews all public events, filming requests, and partnerships to prevent commercial commodification of cultural treasures.
The Audit & Allocation Commission
Financial OversightComposed of independent financial professionals, this commission examines emergency conservation grant allocations. It ensures every public grant and charitable gift complies strictly with French non-profit legislation and the donor's philanthropic intent.
The Regional Delegates Council
Grassroots DemocracyBrings together eighty-four volunteer departmental delegates who live directly within rural communities. They conduct initial on-site visits, report storm damages to the national executive bureau, and ensure local citizens remain informed of educational programs.
In accordance with statutory registration RNA W281001938 and SIREN 381960293, all amendments to our governing statutes, election results, and certified financial balances are filed annually with the Prefecture of Eure-et-Loir in Chartres and published in the Journal Officiel des Associations. Any citizen or researcher may review our governance charters upon written request to our registered seat at Chateau de Reverseaux, 28150 Les Villages Voveens.