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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Sabatier pit, opened in 1910 by the Compagnie des mines d'Anzin à Raismes, was designed with two wells: the n°2 (diameter 3.65 m) started on 12 July 1910, and the n°1 three days later. Named after Maurice Sabatier, the company's administrator, she reached the coalfield at 194-200 m deep. The extraction of anthracite began in 1913, but World War I destroyed the facilities.

Reconstructed in the same way as the Agache pit, production started in October 1920 despite recurrent water supplies, such as that of May 1925, which partially paralyzed the operation. The horse ridings, typical of the 1920s, were built by Malissard Taza: that of well No. 1 (extraction) supported two Koepe wheels, while no. 2 (service), more modest, barely exceeded the building. Production increased from 132,975 tons in 1923 to 409,358 tons in 1939.

Nationalized in 1946, the pit was modernized in 1955: the sprinkling of well No. 2 was replaced by that of pit No.1-1bis of La Clarence (Divion), equipped with two bigues and a Koepe pulley of 1000 horsepower. It then concentrated on the activities of the Vicoigne (1957) and La Grange (1974). After 21.9 million tonnes extracted, it closed in 1980. The wells were filled in 1985, and only the straddling of well No. 2, registered in 2010, remains today.

The site, converted into a natural space, includes three burrows (n°174, 175, 175A) and mining towns classified at UNESCO in 2012. The Church of St. Cecile, built in 1924 by Polish miners and rebuilt after a fire in 1976, completes this heritage. The chivalry, symbol of the industrial era, is the last witness of the mining installations.

Sabatier pit illustrates the peak and decline of coal mining in Nord-Pas-de-Calais. Its chivalry, unique vestige with the burrows and towns, bears witness to mining architecture and working life. The site, now dedicated to hiking, perpetuates the memory of 21,920,000 tons of coal extracted between 1913 and 1980.

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