The Inquisitor’s Palace, situated in the heart of the historical city of Vittoriosa and one of the sites managed by Heritage Malta, is one of the very few surviving palaces of its kind. In the early modern period, such majestic buildings could be found all over Europe and South America. Many simply succumbed to the ravages of time or else were victims of the French Revolution.

Fortunately, the Maltese Inquisitor’s Palace, throughout its five centuries of history, always hosted high-ranking officials representing the main powers on the island, who therefore ensured its survival. The palace also managed to survive the bombings of the Second World War and the threat of modern development. Although much has been changed in the structure of the building by its successive occupants, the Inquisitor’s Palace is an architectural gem, representative of the chequered history and European heritage of the Maltese islands.

The Palazzo del Sant’ Officio was not built purposely as a residence for the various inquisitors. It was erected in the 1530s as the civil law courts of the Order of St John soon after the latter’s arrival to Malta.

It served as a law court until 1571, when the Order transferred its headquarters to Valletta following the siege of 1565. As a consequence, the palace remained empty, but not for long. Mgr Pietro Dusina arrived in Malta in 1574 as the first general inquisitor and apostolic delegate of the Maltese islands, and the grandmaster offered him the unused palace as his official residence.

The building was not yet fit to host the inquisitor and his entourage. Dusina was the first one of a long series of 61 Italian inquisitors who in one way or another all sought to transform the palace into a decent residence for a Roman prelate. The palace in fact was the residence of 27 eventual cardinals and two future popes: Fabio Chigi (1634-39) became Alexander VII (1655-67), and Antonio Pignatelli (1646-48) governed the Church as Innocent XII (1691-1700).

The Inquisitor’s Palace was not built all at once. Some of the most significant changes to the structure of the palace were made by Fabio Chigi (1634-39), who constructed the garden; Gio. Battista Gori Pannellini (1639-45), who built a section of the prisons and the inquisitor’s private quarters; and Gerolamo Casanate (1658-63), who changed the façade to what it is today.

Other alterations were made by Tommaso Ruffo (1694-98), who built the new apartments and the chapel; and Gio. Francesco Stoppani (1731-35), who built a new majestic main staircase. This is the main reason why today the palace is a complicated building with different architectural styles. However, by the mid-18th century, the inquisitors successfully managed to transform the building into a typical palazzo romano.

The French interlude

The presence of the Holy Office in Malta came to a close in 1798 with the arrival of General Napoleon Bonaparte and the French in Malta. In line with the revolutionary ideals heralded by the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, one of the first decrees of Napoleon was the abolition of the Inquisition tribunal. During the brief French occupation the palace was used as the residence of the commander of the Cottonera district.

The British colonial period

After their colonisation of the Maltese islands, the British military authorities took over the Inquisitor’s Palace. At first, it was used as a military hospital by the Army but its use as such was discontinued after a few years. The palace eventually was transformed into a mess-house for the officers of the British garrison stationed at the barracks of Fort St Michael in Senglea.

The palace suffered extensive damage throughout its military tenure. The military looked at it from a very practical point of view, which led them to unceremoniously demolish, build, whitewash, and destroy whatever was not to their liking. Much of the damage which the British left behind is still very visible today, although by now it has become an essential part of the travailed history of the building.

The 20th Century

The Inquisitor’s Palace finally passed into the hands of the Museums Department in 1926, when it made part of the Fine Arts Section, whose curator was Vincenzo Bonello. In the decade from 1926 to 1936, Bonello gave back to the palace some of its lost dignity and respect. All work ground to a halt in 1939 because of the outbreak of the Second World War.

The palace was occupied by the Dominican Fathers during the war since their convent was destroyed by enemy bombing in 1941. Miraculously, the Inquisitor’s Palace survived the Second World War practically unscathed, although it went through some very close shaves. The effects of the bombs’ splinters are still very visible on the façade. The Dominican friars resided in the palace until 1954, by which time their convent had been reconstructed. The Inquisitor’s Palace however, continued to be used as a chapel until 1960, when the Dominican church of the Annunciation was finally completed.

Once the Dominicans had vacated the building, automatically the palace fell once more within the responsibility of the Museums Department. General restoration work resumed during the 1960s and the palace was finally opened to the general public in 1966. During the late 1970s, the upper floor of the palace was converted into a museum exhibiting objects of popular arts, crafts and customs. The palace was officially opened to the public as a Folklore Museum in 1981.

The Inquisitor’s Palace is presently being extensively rehabilitated in order to host an exhibition on the religious perceptions and values in Maltese ethnic identity and cultural values.

Recent exhibitions and educational programmes

Over the past two years, Heritage Malta has sought to make the Inquisitor’s Palace more accessible to visitors by mounting a number of exhibitions including “The Art of Pain” which displayed an array of torture instruments used by various European countries from the early 17th century to the late 19th century. The exhibition was organised in conjunction with the San Gimigiano Museum and drew large crowds to the palace.

During this year’s Lent, Heritage Malta organised the first ever National Exhibition of Holy Week Art at the Inquisitor’s Palace. The exhibition displayed a selection of statues and statuettes manufactured by Maltese artisans in a first ever attempt to bring together a selection of works made by popular local artists.

In June, the Inquisitor’s Palace will be hosting an exhibition entitled “The Cards of Destiny: Gambling, Luck and Magic”, which is bound to be a main attraction over the summer months.

In addition, the agency has also introduced a specific educational programme part-funded by Unesco. The programme involves a number of educational activities including role-play which can be enacted at the palace. Pupils who participate in such a programme have the opportunity to experience what the situation was like in the Tribunal Room in front of the inquisitor.

Article provided by Heritage Malta

The Inquisitor’s Palace is a Heritage Malta site.

The Palace is open everyday between 09.00am and 5.00pm. Last admission is at 4.30pm. The Palace is closed on Good Friday, 24, 25, 31 December and 1 January.

Admission fees

Senior Citizens – Lm2

Juniors and Senior Citizens – Lm1

Isic, Euro 26, UOM, MCAST, Icom Card Holders – Lm1

Children aged 6-11 – 50c

Under 5 years – Free

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