Palace of the Inquisition - Fear Behind a Fine Doorway

Photo: (C) Dr. Thomas Liptak, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

A stop on Cartagena Walled City Walk, a free self-guided tour.

Look at the elaborate stone doorway in this whitewashed building. It is beautiful, and it was meant to be intimidating. This was the seat of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, which Spain established in Cartagena in 1610 to police religious belief across a huge region of the Caribbean and northern South America.

The present palace was completed in 1770. People accused of heresy, witchcraft, blasphemy or practicing other faiths could be investigated, imprisoned and tried here. Africans who kept their own spiritual traditions and people suspected of secretly practicing Judaism were among those who drew the tribunal's attention. The Inquisition in Cartagena came to an end with the independence movement of the early 1800s.

Since 1924 the building has housed the city's history museum. It tells the story of the Inquisition along with colonial and modern Cartagena. Some of the torture devices on display are reconstructions, so read the labels with a curious eye.

If you go in, look for the small barred window on the side street where, it is said, anonymous accusations could be left.

Getting here: Walk south-east from Plaza Santo Domingo for about 2 minutes to Plaza de Bolivar; the palace faces the plaza on its west side.

Did you know?: The tribunal began work in 1610 in two rented houses before this larger building replaced them.

Photo op: Stand across the street in the edge of Plaza de Bolivar to frame the full stone portal with its wooden balcony above.

More on Wikipedia: Palace of the Inquisition · Spanish Inquisition · Cartagena, Colombia

Palace of the Inquisition - Fear Behind a Fine Doorway

Stops on this tour