Within the old maritime city of Birgu is the Inquisitor Palace, a unique building for a singular scenario within the Roman Inquisition, for inquisitors in Malta served in their dual role as supreme judges of the Holy Office and Apostolic Delegates representing the Vatican’s interests in Malta. Between 1574 and 1798 this Palace served as a perfect theatre for an ecclesiastical diplomat and a sophisticated residence and a tribunal inclusive of an austere prison complex to the Inquisitor, and is today the only Inquisitor’s Palace still open to the public.
The building knows its origins to the Knights of the Order of St John, who on settling in Birgu, adapted existing buildings to set up their administrative hub including the old Magna Curia Castellania on the Northwest quarter of today’s site. Following the Order’s shift to the new city Valletta, the Castellania passed on to the Inquisition, triggering an organic growth that would spill into adjacent buildings until reaching the present footprint by the 1650s. Various Inquisitors undertook embellishment projects to transform the building into a palazzo romano typical of dignitaries in Baroque Rome. This materialised through a major project undertaken by Inquisitor Francesco Stoppani between 1733 and 1734 to the designs of the resident High Baroque architect Romano Carapecchia. Following this, the stage was set, and any subsequent changes were mainly associated with a new use imparted by new residents.
Today it is administered by Heritage Malta which takes great caution in striking the right balance between a historic house museum, reflecting the building’s past political importance as one of the three centres of power in early modern Malta and a National Museum of Ethnography, highlighting the impact of the Inquisition on Maltese society and the role of religion in everyday life.
The current experience is divided in three distinct sections, the domestic and kitchen area at ground floor level is complimented by the piano nobile which includes both official halls and private quarters extending on two floors. The third part of the visitor’s experience are the spaces pertaining to the Holy Office itself including the tribunal chamber, torture chamber and prison complex. The museum experience is complimented with an emphasis on a busy outreach programme of events and educational sessions.
