Palace of the Holy Office
The Palace of the Holy Office is a building in Rome which is an extraterritorial property of Vatican City. It houses the curial Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The palace is situated south of St. Peter's Basilica near the Petriano Entrance to Vatican City. The building lies outside the confines of Vatican City at the south-eastern corner of the city-state. It is one of the properties of the Holy See in Italy regulated by the 1929 Lateran Treaty signed with the Kingdom of Italy. As such, it has extraterritorial status.
The palace was first built after 1514 for Cardinal Lorenzo Pucci, and it was called Palazzo Pucci. Its façade was rebuilt in 1524–25 by the architects Giuliano Leni, Pietro Roselli and even Michelangelo. When Pucci died in 1531, the building was still not fully completed.
In 1566–67, the palace was purchased by Pope Pius V for 9000 scudi, and it was converted into the seat of the Holy Office. Renovation works were undertaken by Pirro Ligorio and Giovanni Sallustio Peruzzi. A complete renovation of the building was made by Pietro Guidi between 1921 and 1925.
It is where Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger worked as Prefect of the Congregation.
