Fourteenth century flour mill restored

The Molí de Lluc mill is located in the Josafat valley, just off the footpath to and from the Sanctuary of Lluc and the Son Amer estate and refuge.

It is a beautiful testimony to Mallorca’s ethnological and industrial heritage.

Antoni Fuster, who presides over the Serra de Tramuntana Consortium, has allocated a subsidy to the Sanctuary of Lluc to restore the water channel of the mill.

The stakeholders visited the site: island director of the Serra de Tramuntana, Antoni Solivellas, who is also the Mayor of Escorca; the island’s director of coordination, Sandra Morell, and the deputy mayor of Escorca, Joan Vicens, accompanied by prior Marià Gastalver and deacon Antoni Moreno.

Lluc home to all

Councillor Antoni Fuster underscored the importance of the Lluc sanctuary “as a home for all Mallorcans” and stressed that “the doors are always open to anyone who wants to come and enjoy any kind of event”.

Some work was already carried out on the mill in 2011, when flooring was restored.

Mayor Antoni Solivellas explained the need to rehabilate the walls forming the underground channel conveying water from the Josafat spring to the Sanctuary of Lluc via an open storage cistern (safreig).

The work will consist in cleaning the course of the ditch and rehabilitating the walls that form the gutter. The stone walling of the sides will then be restored to their original shape.

The aim is to reform the structure to its working state as a flour- and sawmill. This will then be a testimony to the important role it played in the past and an added attraction for visitors to the area.

Environmental concerns

During the visit, the environmental needs of the municipality of Escorca were addressed. Antoni Fuster stressed the importance of “being able to share the objectives in order to help preserve the landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana and collaborate in the projects of such an emblematic place as the sanctuary of Lluc”.

This year, the administration will allocate € 55.6 million to environmental policies, which is €4 million more than last year. Concretely, the 2024 allocation for the Serra de Tramuntana Consortium amounts to €2,600,000.

On the day of the visit, all those present visited the basilica to hear the Blauets from the Escolania de Lluc sing their customary daily salve to the iconic Moreneta, or Viregen de Lluc.