History
The Inquisitor’s Palace, situated in the heart of Vittoriosa, is one of the very few surviving palaces of its kind which, in the early modern period could be found all over Europe and South America. Many of these palaces simply succumbed to the ravages of time or were victims of the anti-reactionary power unleashed by 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 through the bombings of the Second World War and the threat of modern development. It is today the only Inquisitor’s Place open to the public in the world and an architectural gem, representative of the chequered history and European heritage of the Maltese islands.
Timeline
The following table contains some of the most important dates in the Palace’s history:
1530s-1571 |
The palace was erected as the civil law courts of the Order of St John |
1571-1574 |
Remained vacant |
1574 |
Official residence of Mgr. Pietro Dusina the first general Inquisitor and apostolic delegate of the Maltese islands |
1634-1639 |
Inquisitor Fabio Chigi constructed the garden |
1639-1645 |
Inquisitor Gio. Battista Gori Pannellini built a section of the prisons and the Inquisitor’s private quarters |
1658-1663 |
Inquisitor Gerolamo Casanate altered the façade to what it is today and isolated the palace from all adjoining buildings. |
1694-1698 |
Inquisitor Tommaso Ruffo built the apartments and the chapel |
1698-1703 |
Inquisitor Giacinto Ferrero di Masserano constructed the other section of the prisons and rehabilitated the Piano Nobile |
1731-1735 |
Inquisitor Gio. Franceso Stoppani built the new majestic entrance and the main staircase |
French Occupation |
The palace was used as the residence of the commander of the Cottonera district |
British period |
First used the building as a military hospital and later as a mess-house for army officers |
1926 |
Passed into the hands of the Museums Department to form part of the Fine Arts Section |
1926-1936 |
Curator Vincenzo Bonello gave back to the palace much of its lost dignity and respect |
1942-1954 |
The palace was occupied by the Dominican friars since their convent and church in Vittoriosa were both destroyed by enemy bombing during WWII |
1966 |
Back to the Museum’s Department, the palace was opened to the general public after a period of restoration in the 1960s |
1981 |
The upper floors were transformed into a folklore museum |
The Present |
Now part of Heritage Malta, the Inquisitor’s Palace is the flagship of the Ethnography Section.
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