(unofficial translation)

Article 1. Object

The European Charter of the Cistercian Abbeys and Sites is an association under the French law of July 1, 1901. It has the aim of establishing a structural link between the owners and (or) managers of Cistercian abbeys or sites, which are open to the public, with an aim of organizing common actions (cultural or tourist) and of representing its members by the local, regional, national and international administration.

Article 2. Members

2-1. Charter gathers public or private owners of Cistercian sites (abbeys or barns, houses of city, mills or other dependences which results directly or indirectly from the Order created in Cîteaux in 1098), whatever their current assignment and their preservation state. Associations which take part in management actions a Cistercian site (with the consent of the owner) can also become members of the Charter. So a site can be represented by several members within the Charter. Adhesion to the Charter results in:
- the payment of the annual contribution whose amount is defined by the General meeting;
- the adoption of the logo which gives its identity to the Charter, firstly by the installation of a plate at the main door of the site, secondly by the mention of membership of the Charter on all documents and mails (these elements being in conformity with the graphic code of the association)
- the integration in the website "cister.eu", vector of communication of the Charter exclusively reserved to its members
- the participation in a continuing formation about the Cistercian culture

2-2. The Charter benefits from the support of members of honor (persons or institutions) who agreed to bring their adhesion to the Charter within the framework of a Committee of Patronage. It also benefits from the competence and the experiment of associated members, persons designated by the Board of Directors, who can be consulted and invited during the cultural activities carried out by the Charter. These associated members do not take part in the vote during the General meeting and cannot be elected in the Board of Directors.

Article 3. Board of Directors and Executive Board

3-1. The Charter is managed by a Board of Directors (18 members):
- 6 active members designated for 6 years by the college of the founding members (Clairvaux - Fontfroide - Fontmorigny - Pontigny - Vauluisant- Villers), chosen because of their capacity to ensure the continuity of the spirit of the Charter ; they are renewable and re-eligible by 1/6 every year per co-optation;
- 12 active members elected for 3 years by the General meeting; they are renewable and re-eligible by 1/3 every year;

3-2. The Board of Directors can associate - on proposal of one of his members accepted by more than the half of the representatives of each of the 2 groups of administrators - additional administrators (maximum 5)

3-3. The Board of Directors meets at least twice a year, a first time to prepare the management report and the accounts to submit to the General meeting, the second time to appoint the Executive Board which will have to apply the orientations decided by this General Meeting. This Executive Board is composed of 4 members minimum: President, Vice-president, Secretary and Treasurer. It can be expanded as largely as necessary in order to achieve the specific tasks delegated to the Executive Board by the Board of Directors. The powers of the President are each year redefined during the designation of the Executive Board by the Board of Directors.

Article 4. General meeting

The General meeting meets each year, during the first half of the year, in a site managed by an active member. It can validly deliberate if 50% of the active members are present or represented. Without this quorum, one second General Meeting is convened within the 15 days and can rule without quorum. Standard general meeting approves (simple majority) the management reports and the accounts of the association. It defines the adhesion fee. It elects the members of the Board of Directors. The Extraordinary General Meeting can amend the statutes (majority of 2/3 of the active members present and represented).