Inquisitor's Palace
The Inquisitor's Palace (Maltese: Il-Palazz tal-Inkwiżitur), also known as the Sacred Palace, 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). 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.
| Inquisitor's Palace | |
|---|---|
Il-Palazz tal-Inkwiżitur | |
Façade of the Inquisitor's Palace | |
| Former names | Castellania Palazzo del Sant'Officio |
| Alternative names | National Museum of Ethnography |
| General information | |
| Status | Intact |
| Type | Courthouse, prison and palace (now museum) |
| Location | Birgu, Malta |
| Coordinates | 35°53′14″N 14°31′21″E |
| Current tenants | Heritage Malta |
| Completed | c. 1530s |
| Renovated | 16th–20th centuries |
| Owner | Government of Malta |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Limestone |
| Floor count | 3 |
| 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 | |
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.