It was built between 1726 and 1728 to designs of the French architect Charles François de Mondion, on the site of the meeting place of the Università.

[1] In around the 8th century, a Byzantine fort was probably built on the site, and in the Middle Ages it developed into a castle known as the Castellu di la Chitati.

The castle's inner walls were demolished in the 15th century, and the remaining part was built up as a palace by Grand Master Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam in the 1530s.

[3] On 3 November 1722, the newly elected Grand Master, António Manoel de Vilhena, issued orders for the restoration and renovation of Mdina.

The building was designed by Charles François de Mondion in the French Baroque style that was popular in Parisian hôtel palaces,[6][7] and it was constructed under the supervision of the Maltese capomastro Petruzzo Debono.

It has a U-shaped forecourt surrounded with loggias, which follows the plan of the original castle, and it possibly contains some remnants of the 16th century palace incorporated into the structure.

The central façade of the palace contains the ornate main doorway, which is flanked by Corinthian columns and is surmounted by a bronze relief of De Vilhena and another coat of arms.