During the Inquisition period which spanned from 1574 until 1798, there were 62 Inquisitors, all of which were Italian. One Inquisitor, Sant Angelo dei Lombardi and Biseccia, died within 24 hours of arriving in Malta on the 21st July 1587. Another, Angelo Gemmario, served for only 2 months in 1591 and had to be replaced after having badly run the affairs of the Tribunal. Meanwhile, Paolo Bellardito – later Bishop of Lipari – was to serve two separate terms.

While the overwhelming majority of the Inquisitors appointed to Malta were academically qualified in law, the Maltese Tribunal must have served as in ideal stepping stone for prelates to advance in their ecclesiastical career. Out of the 62 Apostolic Inquisitors who served in Malta, 13 were to become Bishops, five were later appointed as Archbishops, and 24 rose to the position of Cardinal – quite a few of them even before becoming priests. The Popes Alexander VII (1655-67) and Innocent XII (1691-1700), had also once served as Inquisitors in Malta.

The coats of arms of these Apostolic Delegates are still depicted in the main hall of the Inquisitor’s Palace, serving as a memorial to the extraordinary success achieved by these prelates who once served in Vittoriosa.