The Inquisitor’s Palace (Part 2)

Part of the Museum of Ethnography   

In a slightly bizarre twist, the building also houses a Museum of Ethnography, the displays for which are accommodated in some of the rooms which had been private quarters for the Inquisitors. It’s all rather odd: we were braced ready to visit the Tribunal and the torture chamber and instead we found ourselves learning about Christmas cribs from around the world, and viewing models of the officially celebrated stages of Christ’s life and resurrection.

So, once we’d had the difference between St Niklaus and the chubby, cheery faced Father Christmas explained in detail, as well as the importance of cribs as part of Maltese Christmas celebrations, we were plunged back into the business end of the Inquisitor’s Palace.

Cells being used as a film set   

As if things did not seem odd enough already, during our visit, some of the cells were being used as a film set. Consequently, in some of the corridors and outdoor spaces actors in period clothing were being made up with fake blood and grime and in the prison courtyard the producer was sprawled on the ground so that the cameraman could get his angles. For a moment or two, we thought that the rest of the palace would be closed off to us but no, the film crew was very friendly and ushered us past their working area so that we could see all the rooms – including all their filming gear!

The inquisition room; Tribunal    

The Inquisition was primarily set up to protect the population at large from all kinds of heretical beliefs. After curbing the threat from Protestant thoughts, it turned its attention to reforming the religious culture of the masses, forcing them to conform to the official doctrine of the Council of Trent (1545-63). Inquisitorial Edicts reminded the people of their obligations, including the importance of reporting other people’s crimes within 12 days or risk being automatically excommunicated. Religious crimes included abuse of sacraments, superstitious remedies, owning prohibited books, bigamy, Islam, magical activities, solicitation during confession, false witness, blasphemy, heretical opinion and the catch all, not cooperating with the Inquisition.

Tribunals were held in the Inquisition Room. The Inquisitor sat in the large wooden chair with the crucifix above his head whilst the clerk recorded the proceedings at the more conventional looking desk. You can just imagine how many petty local rivalries ended up with accusations being deliberated here.

Punishments varied from fasting and prayer to public floggings, rowing of galleys or imprisonment. Torture was not used as a punishment but as a means of establishing the ‘truth’ before the Tribunal. There were a good many signs in the palace highlighting that torture was only used in a small number of cases and that it was reserved for cases of serious breaches of orthodoxy, where it was clear that the accused was lying in the face of evidence, or that they were refusing to reveal all that they knew.  [Ed: methinks they do protest too much, m’lud!].

The torture chamber   

And so to the torture chamber – which was located conveniently far below the Inquistor’s private quarters so that he would not be disturbed whilst entertaining important guests. Again, the we were assured of the minimal use of torture; of the fact that a doctor had to be present and to pronounce the accused fit to be tortured; and that torturing could take no longer than 30 minutes and had to stop immediately if the accused admitted his guilt. One might even consider the whole process humane! Particularly as, apparently, the most commonly used method was that of tying the hands of the accused behind their back, attaching a rope and then pulling that up over a beam or pulley. Clearly, the Inquisitors had not visited the London Dungeon where a far more bloodthirsty array of torture methods is described in great detail to the ghoulish delight of all under 12s!

The route to the exit took us past a few more prison cells, each furnished with a couple of wooden cots. Whilst many had a window and water supply and it is claimed that the inquisitors were interested in the both the physical and religious welfare of their prisoners, being locked up here was clearly no holiday. Apparently, some prisoners were kept here for months awaiting trial including 2 Quaker missionaries who were locked up for about 3 years. [Ed: with those stats a few more cells, or a few more people to cells, might have been required!].

Streets in Birgu. Knights’ Hall at the end of the street   

So, relieved to hear that the Inquisition was compassionately devoted to ensuring the population’s religious welfare and that only those assessed to be guilty liars before their Tribunal were tortured, we left the Inquisitor’s Palace and took a stroll around the streets of Birgu. The narrow lanes are edged by tall, balconied buildings, mostly rebuilt after the ravages of WWII, but still in the same style as those that would have been built by the Knights of St John. One of the largest buildings is the Knights’ Hall built between 1533-57 for the storage of armaments but it was also used a hospital during the great siege of 1556. It’s the one building in Birgu that is desperately in need of restoration; the houses generally look very smart and cared for, hopefully the Hall will be restored and used to highlight the important link between Birgu and the Knights’ early years in Malta.

Tourism completed for the day it was definitely time to return to BV to put our feet up and enjoy a cool beer.

Birgu, Malta