SOCIETE ARCHEOLOGIQUE DE NAMUR,SOCIETE ROYALE

What SOCIETE ARCHEOLOGIQUE DE NAMUR,SOCIETE ROYALE does

The Société archéologique de Namur (SAN / 'La SAN') is a non-profit cultural association (association sans but lucratif) founded in 1845 in Namur, Belgium, dedicated to safeguarding, studying, and promoting the archaeological, historical, and artistic heritage of Namur and its province. It maintains scholarly publications, archival holdings, and collections that include 296 catalogued publications and 147 manuscripts/incunabula. The society publishes the peer-reviewed Annales (continuously since 1849) and the modern Namurcum quarterly newsletter; runs a reading-room archive accessible to researchers; and hosts academic programming including a nine-conference cycle combining scholarship with musical performance by IMEP students. Operations are conducted from the historic Jardin du Cloître Marie d'Oignies in central Namur, with an eight-person permanent staff.

SAN's product surface breaks into four service lines: (i) scholarly publications (Annales, monographs, theses, back-catalog discounts); (ii) collection management and scientific expertise (acquisition, conservation, restoration, loans, deposits); (iii) cultural mediation (guided tours, workshops, family visits at 8€/adult and 5€/child, school groups at 60€/class, summer camps at 30€/day); and (iv) PECA-subsidized educational animations. The society is recognized by Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles as a PECA cultural operator (since 2022), reaching roughly 1,000 students annually across maternal, primary, secondary, and specialized education.

Revenue is generated through five streams: annual membership subscriptions (entitling members to Namurcum and free Annales), private donations and testamentary bequests marketed at the favorable 7% Walloon succession-duty rate, one-time publication sales (35€ Annales, 50€ theses), ticket revenue from conference-concerts and family programs (10€/conference or 70€/cycle for non-members), and project-restricted public subsidies from the Walloon Region, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Ville de Namur, and Fondation Roi Baudouin. The go-to-market is community-led: member subscriptions, direct school outreach, co-organized exhibitions with provincial museums (TreM.a, Les Bateliers, Musée des Arts décoratifs), and collaborative research with UNamur (particle-accelerator analysis; digitized Annales 1-50 hosted at BUMP). Distribution is regional (Wallonia / Belgium) through direct sales, mail order, partner museums, and on-site delivery at the Jardin du Cloître.

Name

SOCIETE ARCHEOLOGIQUE DE NAMUR,SOCIETE ROYALE

Legal name

Société archéologique de Namur

Website

https://lasan.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1845

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Société archéologique de Namur (SAN) is a Belgian non-profit association founded in 1845 that preserves, studies, and promotes the archaeological and historical heritage of Namur province through scholarly publishing, archival collections, museum exhibitions, and PECA-subsidized school and public cultural programs, serving members, researchers, schools, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heritage and Cultural Services

NAICS

Historical Sites (712120), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Museums & Heritage Sites (History, Science, Specialty) (BPAGAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Archaeological research publications
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Scholarly journal publishing
• Museum collection management
• Heritage education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Namur

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: Annual membership subscriptions that entitle members to receive the quarterly Namurcum newsletter, free copies of the Annales publication, and other member benefits.
2. Donations and legacies: Private donations and testamentary bequests from supporters who wish to contribute to the preservation of Namurois heritage. The organization promotes planned giving through wills with favorable succession duty rates of 7%.
3. Publication sales: Sale of scholarly publications including the Annales (35€ for non-members, free to members), monographs, theses (50€), and back catalog titles at discounted rates (50% after 3 years, 10€ after 5 years). Available by mail order and through bookstores.
4. Sponsorship and project subsidies: Funding from the Walloon Region, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Ville de Namur, and the Fondation Roi Baudouin to support specific projects, cultural programming, archaeological research, and operational employment subsidies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Société archéologique de Namur (SAN) is a non-profit heritage association founded in 1845 that preserves, studies and disseminates the archaeological and historical patrimony of Namur and its province. It manages collections of manuscripts, incunabula and artworks, publishes peer-reviewed scholarly works (Annales since 1849, Namurcum), runs cultural mediation activities (guided tours, exhibitions, summer camps), and delivers PECA-subsidized cultural education programs to schools.

Product overview

The Société archéologique de Namur operates as a heritage and cultural organization offering a unified portfolio of services centered on the preservation, study, and dissemination of Namur's cultural patrimony. Its core offerings include academic publishing (Annales, Namurcum), collection management and scientific expertise, cultural mediation programs including PECA-subsidized school activities, archival and library services, and temporary exhibitions at partner museums. The society also organizes seasonal conferences-concerts, summer camps for children, and accepts donations, bequests, or deposits of heritage objects. All services are delivered from its historic site at the Jardin du Cloître Marie d'Oignies in Namur.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annales de la Société archéologique de Namur Peer-reviewed annual academic journal published since 1849 covering archaeology, history, art history and numismatics of the Namur region. Sold at 35€ to non-members and provided free to SAN members.
• Namurcum newsletter Quarterly member communication delivering news about SAN activities, acquisitions, research and events, distributed to society members.
• Collection management and scientific expertise services Management, conservation, restoration, loans, deposits and scientific expertise services for archaeological and historical collections, offered to institutions and private owners holding heritage related to Namur.
• Cultural mediation services Guided tours, workshops, family activities, school programs and special events delivered to families, school groups and the general public at SAN headquarters and partner cultural venues.
• PECA Animations (Parcours d'Éducation Culturelle et Artistique) Subsidized cultural education activities for maternal, primary, secondary and specialized schools across Namur province, aligned with Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles curricula.
• Stage Estival (summer camp) Annual summer camp for children aged 7-11 combining history, sensory exploration and creative workshops at the Jardin du Cloître. Priced at 30€/day or 120€/week (5 days), 100€/week for additional siblings.
• Conference-concert cycle Seasonal cycle of nine conferences with musical performances covering regional heritage, archaeology and art history. Members 7€/conference or 35€/cycle; non-members 10€/conference or 70€/cycle; students free.
• Temporary exhibitions Temporary exhibitions organized or co-produced by SAN at partner museums, showcasing classified treasures and items from the society's collections (e.g., 'De l'esquisse au rêve', 'Marche s/Meuse', 'Origines. Histoires de Trésors').
• Archives and Documentary Library services Archival and documentary library services for researchers, providing on-site reading-room access to manuscripts, incunabula and documentation on the history, art and archaeology of Namur province.
• Donations, bequests and deposits service Acquisition service for artworks and documents related to Namur and its province, accepting donations, testamentary bequests (legs) and deposits (dépôts), with planned-giving support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 1,000 students reached annually through PECA cultural education programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

25 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• AWAP (Agence wallonne du Patrimoine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Walloon Heritage Agency recognizes SAN's actions in favor of archaeology and built heritage. AWAP partners with SAN on events such as European Archaeology Days and Heritage Days.
• TreM.a - Musée des Arts anciens du NamuroiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAN collaborates with TreM.a on exhibitions and publications, including joint monographs and guides. The museum hosts SAN collections and co-produces heritage exhibitions.
• Les Bateliers - Musée archéologique de NamurcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Poles muséal Les Bateliers museum complex, this museum hosts SAN archaeological collections and partners on temporary exhibitions.
• Musée des Arts décoratifs de NamurcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner museum where SAN co-organizes exhibitions, including the summer 2026 exhibition 'De l'esquisse au rêve' featuring landscape drawings from the SAN collection and the Fondation Roi Baudouin.
• Musée diocésain-Trésor de la Cathédrale Saint-AubainmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAN partners with the Diocesan Museum on the 'Cap sur nos Trésors' PECA project, jointly engaging school groups with their shared classified treasures.
• Archives de l'État à NamurmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe State Archives partner with SAN for exhibitions and host the 'Tirer son épingle du jeu' exhibition showcasing SAN's classified treasures. The archives also maintain and provide online access to SAN archival collections.
• UNamur (Université de Namur)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNamur collaborates with SAN on research projects, including physics-based analysis of archaeological artifacts using the university's particle accelerator. The Bibliothèque Moretus Plantin (BUMP) hosts digitized Annales volumes 1-50 and the Philippe de Dorlodot Plantin collection.
• IMEP (Institut royal supérieur de Musique et de Pédagogie)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAN collaborates with IMEP on the annual conference-concert series, where IMEP students perform musical interludes during the scholarly presentations.
• KIK-IRPA (Institut royal du Patrimoine artistique)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage partners with SAN on research projects, including the analysis of stained glass at Abbaye Notre-Dame du Vivier and art historical investigations.
• La Cambre (École nationale supérieure des Arts visuels)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLa Cambre students restored three Juppin landscape paintings from SAN's collections for the 2026 exhibition 'De l'esquisse au rêve' at the Musée des Arts décoratifs.
• Service des Archives régionales - Moulins de BeezminorOthersThe Walloon Regional Archives service stores and provides access to SAN's deposited collections, with some materials accessible through the wallonie.be digital portal.
• Citadelle de Namur - Centre du visiteurminorOthersThe Citadel Visitor Center hosts SAN collections or collaborates on heritage presentations for the public.
• Tour d'AnhaiveminorOthersPartner cultural site that hosts SAN collections as part of its museum offerings in the Namur region.
• Le Phare - Espace muséal d'AndenneminorOthersMuseum space in Andenne that serves as a host venue for SAN collections as part of the network of institutions displaying SAN materials.
• Maison du Patrimoine médiéval mosan (MPMM)minorOthersPartner institution dedicated to medieval Mosan heritage that hosts SAN collections and collaborates on regional heritage initiatives.
• Musée archéologique de la Haute-MeuseminorOthersRegional archaeology museum hosting SAN collections as part of the distributed heritage network in the Namur province.
• Musée du Malgré-Tout (CEDARC)minorOthersMuseum in Treignes that is part of the SAN collections hosting network for regional archaeological materials.
• Festival International du Film Francophone (FIFF)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSAN partners with the FIFF on cultural events and programming at the intersection of heritage and the audiovisual arts in Namur.
• Namur Confluent-cultureminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional cultural network initiative that brings together Namur's cultural institutions for joint promotion and programming.
• Maison de la poésieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural partner in the Namur region engaged in literary and poetic heritage programming that intersects with SAN's historical and archival activities.
• Réseau namurois de lecture publiqueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPublic library network in the Namur region that collaborates on cultural programming and access to heritage collections.
• Les Amis de l'Hôtel de CroixminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural association focused on the Hôtel de Groesbeeck-Croix heritage house in Namur, collaborating on shared heritage themes and events.
• IFA-PME Centre de formations WavreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining center that partners with SAN on professional development related to heritage conservation and restoration.
• Musées et Société en Wallonie (MSW)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerSAN is a member of the MSW label 'Marmaille&co' which promotes family-friendly museum experiences across Wallonia, supporting SAN's family activity programming.
• Article 27minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCultural accessibility program that enables disadvantaged individuals and groups to access cultural institutions including SAN's activities and collections.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths3 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/societe-archeologique-de-namur-societe-royale

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SOCIETE ARCHEOLOGIQUE DE NAMUR,SOCIETE ROYALE