EPSLP is a community-governed non-profit association legally constituted to preserve, study, and maintain the historical religious architecture of Saint Lubin du Perche and neighboring hamlets. We welcome every local citizen, craft enthusiast, and volunteer into our ranks, operating with complete financial transparency where 100% of resources are directed toward public interest conservation missions.
EPSLP EGLISES ET PATRIMOINE DE SAINT LUBIN DU PERCHE advances public education, cultural preservation, and historic conservation across the Saint Lubin du Perche parish by protecting its vital religious heritage. Working alongside municipal leaders, regional cultural administrations, and local heritage experts, the organization conducts systematic surveys, active restoration projects, and public engagement initiatives to safeguard historical churches, chapels, oratories, and sacred artifacts. By revitalizing these architecturally significant sites and bringing their historical value to light, the association strengthens community identity, stimulates sustainable cultural tourism, and creates accessible educational spaces for residents and visitors alike. Through non-discriminatory programming, open public lectures, and collaborative conservation work, the entity ensures that irreplaceable historic monuments remain preserved, structurally secure, and freely accessible as public artistic treasures for present and future generations.
The initiative that culminated in the establishment of EPSLP began not in an administrative office, but beneath the leaking rafters of the Saint Lubin parish church during an exceptionally wet spring in the late 2010s. A small group of local residents, including retired stonemasons, regional history teachers, and rural property owners, observed that damp patches were creeping steadily across the lime plaster of the southern nave wall. Water pooling near the foundation was beginning to destabilize the historic limestone flooring, and the historic wooden confessional box showed signs of dry rot.
Recognizing that our small municipal council in Nogent-le-Rotrou and Saint Lubin du Perche operated with heavily constrained public works budgets, these residents resolved that civic initiative was essential. Rather than lamenting the state of public monuments, they gathered at the village community room to draft a formal constitution under the historic French framework of the Association Loi 1901. Registered formally with the Prefecture under national identifier RNA W284004396 and company registry SIREN 882606619, the association was given a singular, uncompromised mandate: to dedicate all efforts, resources, and volunteer hours to the physical preservation and cultural valorization of religious monuments throughout the parish.
Since that founding meeting, EPSLP has grown into an active collective of over one hundred members, ranging from lifelong village families whose great-grandparents were baptized in Saint Lubin to young professionals who moved to the Perche to escape urban density. What unites our membership is the conviction that these centuries-old buildings are not merely religious shrines, but profound repositories of communal memory, architectural genius, and human perseverance that anchor the cultural landscape of our rural valley.
The first operational campaign launched by the newly founded association focused on immediate, low-cost salvage measures. On a crisp autumn weekend, thirty volunteers equipped with buckets, hand brushes, and wheelbarrows removed nearly two tons of accumulated pigeon guano, bat droppings, and decayed nesting debris from the upper belfry floor. This critical intervention immediately alleviated an enormous dead weight resting upon the medieval ceiling joists, restored air circulation through the belfry louvers, and arrested an acute moisture trap that was deteriorating the oak bell supports. The success of this inaugural action proved the immense practical value of organized volunteer effort and established the credibility that has defined EPSLP ever since.
EPSLP is governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees elected annually by all members in good standing during the General Assembly. In strict adherence to non-profit ethics and statutory mandates, every member of our Board of Directors serves on an entirely unpaid, voluntary basis (bénévolat total). No director, president, treasurer, or secretary receives a salary, stipend, attendance fee, or discretionary benefit of any kind.
Our governance structure is organized into four distinct operational committees that ensure accountability and practical progress:
Composed of civil engineers, architects, and experienced craftspeople who liaise directly with regional heritage conservators (Architectes des Bâtiments de France). They oversee structural surveys, review contractor tenders for specialized works, and certify that all intervention methods utilize authentic, breathable traditional materials.
Composed of local historians and genealogists who systematically inventory parish archives, historical churchwarden ledgers (comptes de fabrique), and photographic records. They verify historical provenance and curate free public educational exhibitions.
Coordinates regular volunteer workdays, site cleanup operations, grounds maintenance, and logistical support for open-door heritage events, ensuring that all health, safety, and heritage security regulations are observed on site.
Decisions regarding major preservation interventions are never made unilaterally. When the Technical Committee identifies an urgent restoration priority—such as the recent consolidation of the bell tower timber framework—the technical dossier, estimated cost schedule, and recommended artisan profiles are presented openly to the General Assembly for democratic discussion and approval. Minutes of all board meetings and financial reports are archived and accessible to every active member.
Public trust is the foundation of our association. Because we rely on community contributions, public municipal subsidies, and civic membership fees, we enforce rigorous financial auditing standards that exceed the statutory minimums required of small non-profit entities.
Our annual budget allocation adheres strictly to an 80%+ field mission threshold. That means that out of every euro received by EPSLP, at least eighty-two cents is spent directly on physical building materials (slate tiles, natural hydraulic lime, seasoned oak timbers, copper nails), certified professional artisan contracts (specialized stained-glass conservators, master carpenters), and specialized technical diagnostics. Less than eighteen cents per euro is allocated toward basic operational necessities such as mandatory civil liability insurance, bank administration fees, public notice printing, and the digital hosting of our open public documentation portal.
At each Annual General Meeting held every February at our headquarters at 85 Rue Paul Deschanel in Nogent-le-Rotrou, our elected Treasurer presents a detailed, line-by-line financial ledger. Independent volunteer auditors chosen from among non-board members inspect every invoice, bank receipt, and subsidy disbursement. Following audit verification, the financial statements are signed, filed with the regional prefecture, and made available for public inspection upon written request.
EPSLP operates on a strictly non-commercial basis. We do not sell commercial products, charge admission to historic churches, run paid digital downloads, or operate for-profit retail ventures. Our financial resources are derived entirely from three ethical, non-commercial sources:
Explicit Financial Disclosure: All membership fees, subsidies, and contributions are fully reinvested into the association's public interest missions. In the event of dissolution of the association, French law dictates that all remaining assets must be transferred to a recognized public heritage body or municipal conservation fund; no private individual may ever benefit from organizational holdings.
To understand the vital role that EPSLP plays in Saint Lubin du Perche, one must examine the legal and fiscal realities governing religious architecture in France. Under the landmark Law of December 9, 1905 on the Separation of Churches and State, all ecclesiastical buildings constructed prior to that date became the legal property of the French communes in which they are located. Consequently, the Commune of Saint Lubin du Perche is the legal owner and guardian of the parish church.
While this legal status enshrines these buildings as public cultural goods belonging to every citizen, it places a disproportionate financial burden upon rural village councils. A commune with fewer than a thousand residents receives only modest tax revenues, yet it is legally responsible for maintaining vast stone edifices whose roof areas often exceed one thousand square meters, flanked by towering timber bell towers and medieval masonry vulnerable to extreme weather events.
This is precisely where EPSLP serves as an indispensable civic bridge. As an officially recognized non-profit association, we provide the municipal council with independent technical expertise, volunteer physical labor for routine maintenance, and the legal mechanism to mobilize philanthropic grants from regional foundations. When the municipality applies for matching heritage restoration funds from the Regional Cultural Affairs Directorate (DRAC) or the Departmental Council of Eure-et-Loir, our architectural surveys, humidity telemetry, and detailed condition reports provide the rigorous technical documentation necessary to unlock public subsidies. We do not supplant public authority; rather, we multiply its effectiveness through community solidarity.
The preservation of historic structures is not an occasional emergency reaction, but a disciplined, year-round cycle of preventative maintenance. Our association organizes its activities across four distinct seasonal phases, ensuring that every vulnerability is identified and addressed before severe weather causes irreversible damage.
During the coldest months when outdoor lime mortar work is suspended to prevent frost cracking, our teams focus on administrative and scholarly rigor. The Archival Committee transcribes historical records, updates our digital inventory of sacred art, and finalizes financial audit reports for our February Annual General Meeting in Nogent-le-Rotrou.
As spring arrives, our Field Action teams inspect roof pitches, clear storm debris from copper gutters, and examine the timber bell frame for signs of damp or insect awakening. Drone photogrammetry and endoscope inspections allow us to examine hidden rafters without invasive dismantling.
Summer brings long daylight hours and optimal interior acoustic conditions. The church doors remain open daily for visitors, cyclists, and pilgrims. We host our signature free village concert series, open-door architectural tours, and youth stonework discovery sessions during European Heritage Days.
Before autumn rainstorms set in, volunteers clear dead branches, prune overhanging vegetation, and inspect perimeter gravel drains around the foundation stones. Temporary protective covers are installed over vulnerable exterior carvings to shield them from freeze-thaw cycles.
This continuous lifecycle ensures that minor maintenance tasks—such as replacing a five-euro cracked roof slate—are resolved immediately, preventing tens of thousands of euros in catastrophic timber rot and plaster collapse down the line.
True public transparency requires that every member has an active voice in organizational governance. At EPSLP, every registered member in good standing holds equal democratic voting rights at our General Assemblies. There are no super-voting shares, no permanent directorial seats, and no hereditary board appointments.
Our governance rules enforce four mandatory ethical safeguards:
By establishing these strict democratic protocols, we ensure that EPSLP remains permanently anchored to its founding ideal: a selfless, community-driven civic guardian protecting the architectural soul of Saint Lubin du Perche.
Rural monuments in neighboring communes face identical environmental and structural threats: torrential rains eroding lime mortar, wood-boring deathwatch beetles invading unventilated oak belfries, and demographic shifts reducing local parish congregations. Recognizing that isolated action is both costly and inefficient, EPSLP participates actively in regional heritage solidarity networks across the Perche natural park and the western district of Eure-et-Loir.
Through regular exchanges with fellow non-profit conservation groups in nearby communes such as Thiron-Gardais, Beaumont-les-Autels, and Souancé-au-Perche, our association shares valuable logistical resources. Rather than having each small village association purchase expensive diagnostic instruments, we maintain a collaborative equipment pool. This shared inventory includes specialized precision tools such as electronic carbide wood-moisture meters, high-intensity endoscopy cameras for inspecting sealed attic ceiling vaults, and thermal imaging cameras that identify cold-air infiltration zones behind altar wainscoting.
Furthermore, our association co-hosts the annual Perche Vernacular Architecture Roundtable in Nogent-le-Rotrou. This informal symposium brings together rural mayors, volunteer church wardens, retired craftsmen, and university researchers to discuss practical solutions to rural monument maintenance. Topics explored include natural bat-friendly timber treatments, ecological churchyard meadow management, and the legal structuring of public-private matching funds for monument restoration.
This inter-communal solidarity demonstrates that when rural communities band together, even the smallest village of a few hundred souls can maintain world-class standards of architectural conservation. Our collective efforts ensure that the sacred buildings of the Perche continue to stand as proud testimonies to rural ingenuity and enduring civic pride.
To ensure complete legal compliance and transparent accountability to public authorities, our association maintains up-to-date filings with all relevant French public registries. Our statutory details are summarized below:
| Official Registered Name: | EPSLP EGLISES ET PATRIMOINE DE SAINT LUBIN DU PERCHE |
| Legal Entity Form: | Association déclarée régie par la loi du 1er juillet 1901 (Non-profit civic association) |
| National RNA Identifier: | W284004396 |
| National SIREN Registry Number: | 882606619 |
| Prefecture of Declaration: | Sous-Préfecture de Nogent-le-Rotrou, Eure-et-Loir (28) |
| Registered Head Office Address: | 85 RUE PAUL DESCHANEL, 28400 NOGENT-LE-ROTROU, FRANCE |
| Official Contact Channel: | kihyoplohh@gmail.com • +33 9 86 74 28 35 |
These credentials affirm that EPSLP operates under full public regulatory oversight, maintaining correct tax status as a public-interest body eligible to receive civic donations and municipal grants exclusively earmarked for heritage preservation.
In accordance with our civic disclosure charter, all administrative registers, bank reconciliation sheets, activity reports, and technical assessment dossiers are retained at our Nogent-le-Rotrou archives for a rolling period of ten years. Members of the press, academic researchers, and municipal delegates wishing to consult our complete paper or digitized archives are welcome to schedule an appointment with our secretariat. By preserving our own institutional memory with the same meticulous care that we apply to medieval church ledgers, EPSLP ensures complete clarity, accountability, and public confidence in every action we take on behalf of Saint Lubin du Perche.
