Palace of the Inquisition

building, Lisbon, Portugal

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June 29, 2026

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The Palace of the Inquisition in Lisbon, Portugal, was a significant building that was completely destroyed by the great earthquake of 1755. It was not rebuilt after the earthquake; instead, its site was used for the National Theatre of Dona Maria II. The Inquisition itself was a judicial institution established by the Kingdom of Portugal as an outpost of the Portuguese Inquisition. Its aim was to combat heresy among converts to Christianity and suppress local Hinduism and Islam. The Spanish Inquisition, established in 1478, was a royal court that dealt with conversos whose conversions were thought to be insincere. This institution became a formidable weapon of royal absolutism, using secret procedures, torture, and confiscation of property.123

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Lisbon
Disaster and reconstruction
The Palace of the Inquisition, utterly flattened, was not rebuilt when Pombal enlarged and realigned the Rossio, and on its site, 90 years later, the National Theatre of Dona Maria II was erected. Pombal banished the Jesuit order and transformed their establishment into St. Joseph’s Hospital…
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The Palace of the Inquisition, utterly flattened, was not rebuilt when Pombal enlarged and realigned the Rossio, and on its site, 90 years later, the National Theatre of Dona Maria II was erected. Pombal banished the Jesuit order and transformed their establishment into St. Joseph’s Hospital…
Read More