Inquisitor's Palace - National Museum of Ethnography, Malta

Inquisitor's Palace - National Museum of Ethnography, Malta One of Heritage Malta's museums dealing with the history of the Roman Inquisition in Malta.

The Inquisitor’s Palace, sited in the heart of Vittoriosa, is one of the very few surviving examples of a style of palace that would have been found all over Europe and South America in the early modern period. Mgr Pietro Dusina arrived in Malta in 1574 as the first general inquisitor and apostolic delegate of the Maltese Islands. The Grand Master offered him the unused palace as an official residence. Almost all successive inquisitors sought to transform the palace into a decent mansion. They all shared the same cultural values of clerical baroque Roman society, and by the mid-18th century they had managed successfully to transform the building into a typical Roman palace. It is now one of Heritage Malta's museums and is the flagship of the Ethnography section of the same Heritage Malta. 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.

🤔 Iċċempel lill-pulizija minħabba rixa mitlufa?👮‍♂️ F’Malta tal-1920, rixa tan-ngħam mitlufa tant kienet prezzjuża li nf...
10/09/2026

🤔 Iċċempel lill-pulizija minħabba rixa mitlufa?

👮‍♂️ F’Malta tal-1920, rixa tan-ngħam mitlufa tant kienet prezzjuża li nfetħet inkjesta tal-pulizija dwarha. Dak iż-żmien, il-kpiepel imżejna bir-rix kienu saru popolari ferm, speċjalment fit-tiġijiet Maltin. Dawn l-aċċessorji attraenti kienu wkoll ix-xrara wara wħud mill-ewwel movimenti favur il-konservazzjoni tal-ambjent 👒

Skopri aktar f’‘Il-Moda u l-Bidu tal-Konservazzjoni tan-Natura’ fil-Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Istorja Naturali fl-Imdina, miftuħa sal-aħħar ta' Settembru 🏛️

🔗 Dettalji sħaħ: https://heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/fashion-and-the-birth-of-nature-conservation/

🤔 Would you call the police over a lost feather?

👮‍♂️ In 1920 Malta, one missing ostrich plume was deemed valuable enough to spark a police inquiry. By that time, feathered hats had become all the rage, particularly at Maltese weddings. These alluring accessories were also catalysts for some of the earliest environment conservation movements 👒

Discover the whole story in ‘Fashion and the Birth of Nature Conservation’ at the National Museum of Natural History in Mdina until the end of September 🏛️

🔗 Full details: https://heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/fashion-and-the-birth-of-nature-conservation/

📜Kulħadd jagħmel li jaqbillu!📜🗓️Nhar il-Ħamis, 15 ta' Ottubru, ingħaqad ma' Heritage Malta għal taħdita affaxxinanti fil...
03/09/2026

📜Kulħadd jagħmel li jaqbillu!📜

🗓️Nhar il-Ħamis, 15 ta' Ottubru, ingħaqad ma' Heritage Malta għal taħdita affaxxinanti fil-Palazz tal-Inkwiżitur, il-Birgu, fejn Dott. Mario Xuereb se jixħet dawl fuq kif, bejn is-sekli 16 u 18, eluf ta' Nsara Ewropej – fosthom Maltin – ikkonvertew għall-Iżlam.🙏

🗣️Din it-taħdita se ssir bil-Malti.

🎟️Idħol hawn għal aktar tagħrif u għall-biljetti: https://heritagemalta.mt/whats-on/insara-bit-twelid-misilmin-bi-professjoni-tahdita-minn-dr-mario-xuereb/ .

Il-Malti jgħid li min jitwieled tond ma jmutx kwadru. Imma r-realtà hija … Continued

30/08/2026

🪶 Kienu jintlibsu għall-ġmiel. Imfittxija għar-rarità tagħhom 👑 Mixtieqa bħala simboli tal-lussu. Illum jirrakkontaw storja differenti ħafna 🌿

🏛️ Skopri l-wirja ‘Il-Moda u l-Bidu tal-Konservazzjoni tan-Natura’ fil-Mużew Nazzjonali tal-Istorja Naturali fl-Imdina, li ser tibqa’ għaddejja sal-aħħar ta’ Settembru 2026.

🪶 They were worn for beauty. Desired for their rarity 👑 Coveted as status symbols. Now they tell a very different story🌿

🏛️ Discover the exhibition ‘Fashion and the Birth of Nature Conservation’ at the National Museum of Natural History in Mdina, running until the end of September 2026.

Address

Main Gate Street
Vittoriosa
BRG1023

Opening Hours

Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00
Saturday 09:00 - 17:00
Sunday 09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+35621827006

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Inquisitor's Palace - National Museum of Ethnography, Malta posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category