The Inquisitor’s Palace; an Architectural Gem spanning Centuries and Styles

Heritage Malta is pleased to announce the launch of a new publication about the Inquisitor’s Place, the only of its kind still open to the public worldwide. The Inquisitor’s Place is nowadays an architectural gem, representative of the chequered history and European heritage of the Maltese islands.

With an introduction by Prof. Mario Buhagiar, the publication contains the following papers:

– A New Look at the Old Magna Curia Castellania Building, Godwin Vella
– For public elegance and private comfort: the development and purpose of the private apartments, Kenneth Gambin
– Taste and Lustre: The Artistic Significance of the Inquisitor’s Palace, Kenneth Cassar
– From Pannellini to Messerano: the quest for a secure prison complex, Matthew Balzan

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.

This new publication provides an insight into the Palace’s history, a Palace that nowadays also hosts Heritage Malta’s National Museum of Ethnography.

For further details on how to purchase a copy, please click here