The Palace of the Inquisition

After a walk thru the Old Walled City, we came upon an area that is part of the city’s history, but certainly not a shining moment in that history.  Most of us have heard of the Spanish Inquisition, a period of torture and persecution.  Well, since Cartagena was under Spanish control at the time, the Inquisition also took place in Cartagena.  The street sign (below) is very pretty, but not representative of what occurred there.

Inquisition Street Sign

Entrance Palacio de la Inquisition

The Palace of Inquisition, also known as the Inquisition Palace, (Spanish: Palacio de la Inquisición) is an eighteenth-century the seat of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Cartagena, now in modern Colombia. Finished around 1770, it currently serves as a museum showcasing historical artifacts. The museum once displayed torture equipment used on victims during the inquisition however these items have been removed from display in 2015 prior to visits to Colombia by Pope Francis. It has been described as "one of the finer buildings" in Cartagena.

Inquisition Palace Wall

Architectural elements throughout the palace were inherited from southern Spain, and there was a very rich texture to the walls.  The Palace has been partially restored to preserve Columbia’s cultural heritage.  The establishment of the Palace was decreed by Philip III.  Since Cartagena was a center of commerce, a transit point between the Caribbean and Spanish settlements in western South America, the city became the third in the Spanish empire to have a tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition.

Inquisition Hangman’s Noose

Altho most of the torture equipment has been removed, there were a couple of pieces of equipment used to put people to death are still there.  This hangman’s noose was one of them.

Art at the Palace of the Inquisition

Altho no information was listed for these two pieces of art, I found them hauntingly beautiful and very powerful in terms of relaying sadness and suffering.

May we learn from history so we don’t repeat it.