Girgenti Palace was built in 1625 as the summer residence of Inquisitor Onorato Visconti, on a strip of land confiscated from Matteo Falzon (Maltese: Matti Falzun), who had been condemned as a heretic.

Wenzu self-exiled in France where he continued a life against church teaching and Matteo went into hiding in Sicily.

[3] A chapel dedicated to St Charles Borromeo was built near the palace in 1763 by Inquisitor Angelo Maria Durini.

[5] The palace remained the summer residence of the inquisitors until 1798, when the Inquisition was abolished during the French occupation of Malta.

[2][6] The palace was left abandoned until it was restored between 1988 and 1990, and converted into the summer residence of the Prime Minister of Malta.