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Origin and history

The pit n° 3 - 3 bis, known as Saint-Amé or Aimé-Tilloy, was opened in 1858 by the Compagnie des mines de Lens in Lievin, in the mining basin of Nord-Pas-de-Calais. The work began near the church of Saint-Amé, with a first well (No. 3) reaching 141 meters deep in 1860 to extract a coal rich in volatile materials. A second well (3 bis), dug in 1881 at 40 meters north, was used for ventilation. Mining towns, a church and schools were built nearby, forming a coherent social and industrial complex.

During World War I, the pit was destroyed and rebuilt in the 1920s, adopting the post-war architectural style of the Lens mines. Well No. 3 received a reinforced concrete straddling, while No. 3 bis was equipped with a metal straddling, symbol of the site's modernization. The cities, the church (rebuilt in 1935) and the schools were also renovated, reflecting the social importance of coal mining.

Nationalized in 1946, the pit joined the Lens Group and merged in 1952 with the Lievin Group to form the Lens-Liévin Group. The wells were deep (432 m for No. 3, 535 m for No. 3 bis), but the extraction ceased in 1960 after connection to pit No. 11-19. The site further provided service and ventilation until 1978, the year of its final closure.

On 27 December 1974, an explosion in an extraction site killed 42 miners, tragically marking the history of the site. This tragedy accelerated the closure of the pit. The concrete straddling of well No. 3 was destroyed in 1983, but the metal straddling of No. 3 bis, a witness to this disaster, was preserved. In 1992, it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, among 353 elements of the mining basin.

The pit tile, converted into an industrial zone, now retains the metal straddling as the only vestige. The heads of wells 3 and 3 bis were materialized by Charbonnages de France at the beginning of the 21st century. The no. 233, formerly linking the pit to other sites, has disappeared, replaced by a road. The mining towns, the church of Saint-Amé and the schools, renovated, still recall the industrial and social past of Lievin.

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