Inquisitor's Palace

Inquisitor's Palace
Il-Palazz tal-Inkwiżitur
Façade of the Inquisitor's Palace
Map
Former namesCastellania
Palazzo del Sant'Officio
Alternative namesNational Museum of Ethnography
General information
StatusIntact
TypeCourthouse, prison and palace (now museum)
LocationBirgu, Malta
Coordinates35°53′14″N 14°31′21″E / 35.88722°N 14.52250°E / 35.88722; 14.52250
Current tenantsHeritage Malta
Completedc. 1530s
Renovated16th–20th centuries
OwnerGovernment of Malta
Technical details
MaterialLimestone
Floor count3
Design and construction
Architect(s)Diego Perez de Malfreire or Nicolò Flavari (attributed)
Renovating team
Architect(s)Several architects, including:
Francesco Sammut
Giovanni Barbara
Romano Carapecchia
Website
Heritage Malta

The Inquisitor's Palace (Maltese: Il-Palazz tal-Inkwiżitur),[1] also known as the Sacred Palace,[2] is a palace in Birgu, Malta. It was the seat of the Maltese Inquisition from 1574 to 1798, under the name Palazzo del Sant'Officio (Sicilian: Sant'Ujfizzio di Malta).[3] The building was originally constructed as a courthouse known as the Castellania in the early 16th century, but little remains of the original building due to major alterations and renovations carried out in the subsequent centuries.

After the inquisition was abolished during the French occupation of Malta in 1798, the palace was used for a number of purposes, including as a military hospital, a mess hall and a convent. It has been a museum since 1966, being known as the National Museum of Ethnography since 1992. The building is one of the few surviving palaces of its kind in the world, and the only one which is open to the public.

  1. ^ Cassar Pullicino, Joseph (October–December 1949). "The Order of St. John in Maltese folk-memory" (PDF). Scientia. 15 (4): 163. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2016.
  2. ^ Ciappara, Frans (1993). "i. Vassalli's step-father in prison" (PDF). Journal of Maltese Studies. 24 (5): 38. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2017.
  3. ^ https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/23509/L-iskejjel%20tal-gvern%20it-taghlim%20f%27Malta.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y[permanent dead link]