A Pit Behind the Statue: Tribute to Charles Mathieu, the Man who Opened

A Pit Behind the Statue: Tribute to Charles Mathieu, the Man who Opened

Discover the man who dug the first pit of the Pas-de-Calais basin, and the tribute paid to him in Lourches, France.

The monument to Charles Mathieu, a statue commemorating an exceptional individual, is located in Lourches, France. Born in Anzin in 1798, Charles Mathieu became a knight of the Legion of Honor. He was the founder of the mines of Douchy in 1832 and the mines of Courrières in 1849. Charles Mathieu was the pioneer who dug the first pit of the Pas-de-Calais basin. The monument to Charles Mathieu, designed by Corneille-Henri Theunissen and Constant Moyaux, was erected in 1900 and dedicated on September 22, 1901. It stands 1.8 meters tall and boasts two sculptures of miners at its base, symbolizing the mining industry.

On all four sides of the monument, mining symbolism is present.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Written by Nicolo Ciampini

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