Here’s a summary of the construction and history of Xarolla Windmill in Zurrieq, Malta:
📍 Location
35.831702, 14.480765Xarolla Windmill (Ta’ Xarolla) in Żurrieq — who built it and when, how it was constructed and equipped, how it was used, its decline and the modern restoration programmes that returned it to working order.
Quick facts
Name: Xarolla Windmill (Mitħna tax-Xarolla / Ta’ Xarolla).
Location: Żurrieq, southern Malta (near St Agatha’s chapel / Nigret area).
Built: 1724, commissioned by Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena.
Type: Tower mill (cylindrical stone tower on a rectangular base).
Sails: Six common sails (restored).
Current use: Restored to working order and used as a heritage site, visitor attraction and occasional cultural/arts space.
1. Construction and original form (1724)
Patron & date: Xarolla was one of several mills built by Grand Master Manoel de Vilhena as part of agricultural improvements; construction is dated to 1724 in the main sources.
Type & materials: It is a classic Maltese tower windmill — a circular limestone tower rising from a low rectangular base (storage/working rooms). Built in local globigerina limestone with lime mortar, the masonry tower supported a wooden rotating cap carrying the sails, and housed timber floors, gearing and millstone(s) inside. This is the standard arrangement for Manoel-period tower mills.
Notable historic change: Sources note a later internal/structural adaptation — for example a second floor/extension for the miller’s living quarters was added at a later date (late 18th century references appear in local notes).
2. Working life and local role
Function: Xarolla ground cereals for the Żurrieq hinterland — a community corn mill serving local farmers and households. The mill formed part of a cluster of mills in the Nigret/Żurrieq area.
Machinery: Original internal fittings included the wooden cap and windshaft, timber gearing, and at least one pair of millstones. Over the centuries the mill was used intermittently; like many Maltese mills it ceased commercial prominence as industrial milling spread.
3. Decline, loss of mechanism and early conservation work
By the 20th century the mill had lost its full working capability (many mills lost sails/caps or had machinery dismantled). Xarolla’s mechanism was dismantled in the 1970s as part of a conservation/restoration programme (parts were removed and conserved to enable later reconstruction).
4. Major restoration (1990s → 2004) and re-opening
1992 / 1990s restoration: The windmill underwent conservation in the early 1990s and was restored towards working order; it was reopened as a cultural/heritage resource and one of the most complete surviving Maltese mills. Several sources mark the 1990s as the key restoration decade that returned elements of the mill to functional condition.
2004 works / inauguration: A later, well-reported restoration/inauguration took place in 2004 — Times of Malta reported that an Lm90,000 restoration was inaugurated on 6 August 2004, work which also uncovered and conserved nearby archaeological features (catacombs, chapel) and improved the site fabric and visitor access.
Local administration: The site was transferred into local care / administration (Żurrieq Local Council involvement reported around 2000) and has since been used for guided visits, education and cultural activities.
5. Recent events and maintenance (2010s → 2020s)
Storm damage & repairs (2022): In March 2022 the windmill suffered significant storm damage to its sails/vanes and some structural elements; repairs replaced six long poles and damaged internal components. The mill has since been repaired and reopened for visitors, with community reporting on the repair work and reopening events.
Current status: Xarolla is frequently described as the only functioning windmill on Malta (i.e., restored to working order and capable of grinding) — used as an agri-tourism and cultural landmark and occasionally as an art studio / event venue. Visitor openings are irregular but organised by the local council / heritage volunteers.
6. Why Xarolla is significant
Architectural & social heritage: It’s one of the best-preserved Maltese tower mills, a surviving example of early-18th-century rural infrastructure commissioned by the Knights.
Educational & tourism value: The restoration has made it a tangible demonstration of traditional milling technology in Malta and an asset in Żurrieq’s cultural trail.
A late-Roman / Byzantine catacomb complex (burial tombs) lies under and immediately around the Xarolla Windmill in Żurrieq — window-tombs, niche burials, headrests and related funerary features.
Quick detail
The windmill stands on a high point above an archaeological complex of rock-cut tombs (often called the Xarolla catacombs). The cluster lies directly beneath/adjacent to the mill and was exposed during site works and restorations.
The tombs are late Roman / Byzantine in date (the assemblage includes window tombs and niche burials typical of that period in Malta). Excavations and investigations have recorded carved details (for example a carved column base with leaf motifs), headrests and burial niches.
Short history of discovery & recent work
Parts of the tomb group were known from older mentions, but significant modern investigations and re-exposure happened during restoration/park works in the 1990s and again during the mill’s conservation and site improvements (1990s → 2000s → reopening events). The catacombs are included in discussions of Malta’s wider subterranean funerary landscape (even appearing on the UNESCO tentative list for Maltese catacomb complexes).
What you can see / expect
Surface visitors to the Xarolla complex can view the mill, the small Sant’ Andrija chapel and the area where the catacombs lie; some parts are visible from ground level and others were recorded and conserved during archaeological work (the UM report documents the plan and finds). Guided visits or local interpretation panels explain the presence of the tombs under the windmill.
