Ġużè Damato

Ġużè or Joseph Damato (13 December 1886 – 25 May 1963) was a Maltese architect who designed a number of churches and other ecclesiastical buildings during the 20th century. He was a pioneer of the use of reinforced concrete in Malta, and his most notable works include the Church of Christ the King in Paola, the Church of St John the Baptist in Xewkija and the Carmelite church in Valletta. Some of the buildings he designed were completed decades after his death.

Biography Damato was born on 13 December 1886 to Maltese emigrants in Sfax, French Tunisia. He studied at the De La Salle Brothers in Sfax, and at a young age, he was involved in boat-building, which was his family's business. He moved to Malta at the age of 19, and there he set up his own business.

Other churches designed by Damato include the churches of St Francis of Assisi and the Immaculate Conception in Ħamrun, the Carmelite church in Fleur-de-Lys, the St Anthony church in Għajn Dwieli and the now-demolished Capuchin church in Xemxija. He oversaw the construction of the dome of the Parish Church of St Cajetan in Ħamrun to designs of Andrea Vassallo, and he was also involved in minor alterations to several other churches and convents.