Religious association (association cultuelle)
Abbatia Sancti Petri de Curte
Founded in 2019 so that prayer might begin again in the chapels of the Abbaye Saint-Pierre, and to provide for the costs of worship.

The name is Latin: Abbatia Sancti Petri de Curte, the Abbey of Saint Peter “of the Court”; Lacour is the place where it stands, at Mas-Grenier, on the Garonne. The association brings together members of the faithful who wish the liturgy to be celebrated again in its chapels, the chapels to be cared for, and those who come to pray to be received.
Its purpose
Its statutes, adopted by the founding assembly of 8 May 2019, set out its purpose:
- to acquire, rent, build, fit out and maintain buildings used for Catholic worship;
- to celebrate publicly the traditional Catholic liturgy and to teach the message of the Church;
- to provide for the costs, exercise and needs of worship, of its ministers and of religious works;
- to train ministers and the others who take part in the exercise of worship.
Its area extends to the whole of France; its registered office is at the Abbaye Saint-Pierre.
Its status
It is an association cultuelle: an association declared under the French law of 1 July 1901 whose sole purpose is the public exercise of worship, in the sense of the law of 9 December 1905. On 21 June 2019 the prefect of Tarn-et-Garonne certified that he did not object to its having this status. The status has since been declared to the prefect again, as the law of 24 August 2021 requires.
| Name | Association cultuelle Abbatia Sancti Petri de Curte |
|---|---|
| Form | Declared association (association déclarée) under the French laws of 1 July 1901 and 9 December 1905 |
| Statutes | Adopted on 8 May 2019 |
| Registered office | Abbaye Saint-Pierre, 15 chemin de l’Abbaye, 82600 Mas-Grenier, France |
| SIREN | 851 807 826 · activity 94.91Z, religious organisations |
| Duration | Unlimited |
Its governance
A board of three to five members, elected for three years by the general assembly, directs the association; it chooses from among its members, by secret ballot, a president, a secretary and a treasurer. The general assembly meets each year: the president gives an account of the life of the association, the treasurer of its management, and the accounts are submitted for approval. Only an extraordinary assembly may amend the statutes, by a three-quarters majority.
The statutes distinguish four kinds of members: founding members, who took part in creating the association; active members, who pay a fee and take part in its religious life with the board’s approval; associate members (membres adhérents), who make use of its services and pay an annual fee set by the general assembly; and honorary members, named by the board for services rendered.
Its resources
The fees of its members; offerings, collections and appeals; payments for ceremonies and religious services; the renting of places in the chapels; the income of its property; the gifts and bequests it may receive by reason of its purpose. Should it be dissolved, its property may not be shared among its members: it passes to an association with a similar aim.
On the abbey grounds
Several distinct organisations live at the Abbaye Saint-Pierre, each in its own role. The association cultuelle Abbatia Sancti Petri de Curte has charge of the chapels and of religious life; it runs the Saint-Michel House and receives retreatants there. The buildings belong to the company Abbaye Saint-Pierre (SAS), which offers its own stays and programmes. Research and innovation are carried by another association, the Conservatoire du Patrimoine des Abbayes, the research and innovation operator and living lab of the estate, which studies and hands on the heritage of the abbey; the land is worked by the abbey farm. The association cultuelle takes no part in these activities: its purpose remains the exercise of worship alone.