Philatelic Photograph: Inquisition Palace - Cartagena, Colombia

Palacio de la Inquisición 

(Inquisition Palace)

Cartagena, Colombia

N 10° 25.394 W 075° 33.092

Short Description: 

Inquisition Palace (Palacio de la Inquisición) is located on the west side of the Simon Bolivar Park in the old walled part of the city of Cartagena.

Long Description:

Construction of the Inquisition Palace was began in 1610 and established by King Philip III of Spain as the the seat of the Holy Office of the Inquisition in Cartagena. This was the third tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition established in the Spanish Empire.

The Palace was used by Spanish Inquisition to try Jews, Muslims, other non-Catholics, and many other persons believed to be guilty of crimes against the orthodoxy of Catholic church. The Palace held a wide variety of implements of torture and was the site of numerous executions.

The white brick building is a well preserved example of Spanish Colonial architecture. The ornate, Baroque style, stone main entrance in the center of the building is flanked by a series of wooden balconies. Today the Palace serves as a museum displaying torture device and other artifacts of the Inquisition Era in Cartagena.

The upper stamp show the entrance to the Inquisition Palace. It was issued by Colombia in 1996 as part of a set of four stmps showing historical landmarks in Colombia.

The above stamp was issued by Colombia in 1983 to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the founding of Cartagena in 1533. It depicts several of the major structures in Cartagena including: the hilltop la Popa Monastery, fortress walls, the Torre de Reloj (Clock Tower Gateway), the dome of the church of San Pedro Claver, the dome of the Cathedral of Santa Catalina, and, in the lower right hand corner, the Inquisition Palace.