Construction and early history The site of Palazzo Parisio originally contained two town houses, which belonged to Fra Michel Fonterme dit la Chiesa and Francesco This. The houses were purchased by Fra Giovanni di Ventimiglia, the Balì of Manosca, in 1608. In about 1740, Domenico Sceberras demolished the town houses and began to build the palace. It was completed in 1744 by Margherita Muscati, his sister, and remained in the hands of the Muscati family. Eventually, it was inherited by Anna Muscati, who married Domenico Parisio. By the late 18th century, the palace belonged to Paolo Parisio Muscati, who named the building
Palazzo Parisio.
Nineteenth century After Malta became a
British protectorate in 1800, Pario family returned to the palace. On 26 November of that year,
Ralph Abercrombie arrived in Malta on board
HMS Diadem, and stayed at the palace until he left for Egypt on 20 December. From 25 January to 14 May 1841,
Lord Lynedoch, a personal friend of Parisio Muscati, also took up temporary residence at the palace during his stay in Malta. The de Piro family had eventually came to an agreement with the British government to exchange the palace with
Casa Caccia.
General Post Office By the 1880s, Palazzo Parisio was co-owned by around 100 people, and was in poor condition. In 1886 the postmaster-general, Ferdinand Inglott, persuaded the owners to lease, and eventually to sell, the palace to the government. It was renovated, and opened as the General Post Office (GPO) in May 1886. A third floor which housed the Audit Office was added after
World War I. On 24 April 1942, during
World War II, the palace was partially destroyed by aerial bombardment. The GPO moved to the primary school of
Ħamrun until it returned to the ruined palace on 16 January 1943. The palace was rebuilt after the war, but some of the frescoes were lost.
Ministry for Foreign Affairs The first ministry that the building served was the
Ministry for Posts and Agriculture. The
Ministry for Foreign Affairs moved to the palace in October 1973. Approximately one hundred workers, including diplomats, work in the building. Since 2014 the building has been considered unsafe, according to appointed architects, and is in process of refurbishment. The palace is scheduled as a Grade 1 national monument by the
Malta Environment and Planning Authority. It is also listed on the
National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands. ==Architecture==