Deemed start of operation avant l'an mille (≈ 50)
Mine probably active before 1000.
1155
First written entry
First written entry 1155 (≈ 1155)
Mine attributed to the Dauphin in the texts.
XIVe siècle
End of operation
End of operation XIVe siècle (≈ 1450)
Gradual cessation of mining activities.
1er octobre 1994
Protection of remains
Protection of remains 1er octobre 1994 (≈ 1994)
Inventory listing MH.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Underground works of the mine, workshops and all the remains of the mining village (cad. B9 1358, 1406 to 1408, 1412, 1458; G3 242 to 244; G 268; C5 2006, 2055; D2 295, 296, 303): entry by order of 1 October 1994
Key figures
Dauphin - Mine owner
Owned the mine from 1155.
Châtelain d'Urgon - Suspected manager
Vassal to supervise the operation.
Origin and history
The mining village of Le Fournel, located in L'Argentière-la-Bessée (Hautes-Alpes), is a former silver-bearing lead mine whose origins date back at least to the Middle Ages. The remains are evidence of intensive mining activity, combining surface techniques (removal of outcrops) and underground work (slaughter chambers, drainage galleries). The hardness of the rock required the use of the work on fire, while infrastructure allowed the evacuation of water, smoke and the transport of minerals by sleds. Approximately 18,000 m2 of sill were operated on a linear d1 km, revealing the extent of operations.
The mine was mentioned in texts as early as 1155 as the property of the Dauphin, suggesting an organized operation well before that date, probably before the year thousand. Its management was probably entrusted to the vassal chestnut of the castle of Urgon, located near the mining sector. Activity seems to decline around the 14th century, marking the end of a prosperous period for this exploitation. The remains protected since 1994 include underground works, workshops and the entire mining village, demonstrating its historical and technical importance.
The site illustrates medieval mining methods in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, where the extraction of precious metals played a key economic role. The location at L-Argentière-la-Bessée, in a resource-rich mountainous territory, reflects the adaptation of techniques to geological constraints. The Fournel mine, with its galleries and infrastructure, offers a rare example of early industrial heritage, linked to feudal history and the region's exchange networks.
