Girgenti Palace ( mt, Palazz tal-Girgenti) is a

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

near

Siġġiewi Siġġiewi ( mt, Is-Siġġiewi, ), also called by its title Città Ferdinand, is a city and a local council in the Southern Region of Malta. It is the third largest council in Malta by surface area, after Rabat and Mellieħa respectively. It ...

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. It was built in 1625 as the summer residence of Malta's inquisitor, and is therefore also known as the Inquisitor's Palace ( mt, Palazz tal-Inkwiżitur). It is now an official residence of the

Prime Minister of Malta The prime minister of Malta ( mt, Prim Ministru ta' Malta) is the head of government, which is the highest official of Malta. The Prime Minister chairs Cabinet meetings, and selects its ministers to serve in their respective portfolios. The P ...

History

Girgenti Palace was built in 1625 as the summer residence of Inquisitor Onorato Visconti, on a strip of land confiscated from Matteo Falzon ( mt, Matti Falzun), who had been condemned as a heretic. Falzon was not accused alone as also Cleric Wenzu Falzon had been accused with him of witchcraft. Wenzu self-exiled in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

where he continued a life against church teaching and Matteo went into hiding in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

. Both were sentenced

in absentia is Latin for absence. , a legal term, is Latin for "in the absence" or "while absent". may also refer to: * Award in absentia * Declared death in absentia, or simply, death in absentia, legally declared death without a body * Election in ab ...

by the inquisition with representative ‘corps’. No property was taken from Wenzu as he had nothing of real value left behind. Matteo remained known by the locals as the "Falzon Wizard" ( mt, is-Saħħar Falzun). A chapel dedicated to St

Charles Borromeo Charles Borromeo ( it, Carlo Borromeo; la, Carolus Borromeus; 2 October 1538 – 3 November 1584) was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation combat ...

was built near the palace in 1763 by Inquisitor Angelo Maria Durini. The palace was included on the Antiquities List of 1925. Edward Lear - Inquisitor's Palace, Girgenti

Edward Lear - Inquisitor's Palace, Girgenti

The palace remained the summer residence of the inquisitors until 1798, when the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...

was abolished during the

French occupation of Malta The French occupation of Malta lasted from 1798 to 1800. It was established when the Order of Saint John surrendered to Napoleon Bonaparte following the French landing in June 1798. In Malta, the French established a constitutional tradition in ...

. It was subsequently used as a summer residence for the Lieutenant-Governors of Malta. In

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, some of the collections of the

Palace Armoury The Palace Armoury ( mt, L-Armerija tal-Palazz) is an arms collection housed at the Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta, Malta. It was the main armoury of the Order of St. John in the 17th and 18th centuries, and as such it was the last arsenal est ...

were stored at Girgenti Palace for safekeeping. The palace was left abandoned until it was restored between 1988 and 1990, and converted into the summer residence of the

Present day

The palace is occasionally open to the public. Both the palace and chapel are listed on the

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands The National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands (NICPMI) is a heritage register listing the cultural property of Malta. The inventory includes properties such as archaeological sites, fortifications, religious buildings, mo ...

Design

The palace has a simple layout, with its rooms arranged in a rectilinear layout. It has a plain façade, with few decorative elements.

References

External links

National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
Siġġiewi Official residences in Malta Buildings and structures completed in 1625 Palaces in Malta Inquisition in Malta Prime ministerial residences Limestone buildings in Malta National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands {{Malta-geo-stub

History

Present day

Design

Further reading

References

External links