Gerolamo Darmanin was the firstborn of seven children. His parents were Salvatore Darmanin and Mary Anna Frendo, who were married at Senglea collegiate church on August 21, 1833. At the time, the Darmanin family lived at 174, Strada Due Porte, Senglea.

Gerolamo, named after his mother’s father, was born on June 12, 1834. On the same day, he was taken to the Senglea collegiate church where he was baptised by his uncle Don Lorenzo Frendo Rossi.

Besides the name Gerolamo, he was given the names Giuseppe, Lorenzo, Michaele, Felice, Filippo and Vittorio. His godparents were Gerolamo Frendo, his mother’s father, and Maria Darmanin, his father’s mother, both from Senglea parish.

Darmanin’s tight bond with Senglea would never loosen. On July 27, 1856, he married Gasparina Demajo, daughter of Melchiore and Domenica Debattista and went to lived at 10, Strada Vittoria, Senglea. They had four children, Amelia, Giuseppina, Giuseppe and Ester Maria.

He came from a family of artists. His father, Salvatore, was a re­-nown­ed sculptor of tombstone statuettes while his uncle, Carlo Darmanin, was a statuarian.

Long before it became synonymous with the production of papier-mâché statues in the 19th century, the Darmanin surname was mostly associated with works in marble. The firm G. Darmanin e Figli, named after Giuseppe Darmanin, Gerolamo’s grandfather, started in Senglea in 1708 and it continued to produce works for at least two centuries. This attests to the high quality and success this brand attained. The Darmanin family had their workshop at 45, Strada Levante, Valletta, and later at 532, Strada Reale, Via San Giuseppe, Ħamrun.

The firm produced works such as the altar and the baptismal font of Lija parish church and the lavabo in the small sacristy of Senglea parish church. They were also commis-sioned secular and public works. Among these one finds the flooring of the three corridors in the piano nobile of the Palace in Valletta and the tomb of the Hon. John Hookham Frere, an English diplomat and au-thor who died at Villa Frere in Pietà, on January 7, 1846, and buried at Msida Bastion cemetery.

Darmanin, already renowned for statuarian art, was called upon to create these magnificent statues of St Joseph

It was therefore only natural that from his childhood, Darmanin started to familiarise himself with this type of work. He gave a helping hand in the workshop and eventually began to do similar work himself.

Between May 1 and October 15, 1851, G. Darmanin e Figli took part in the Exhibition of Works of Industry of All Nations held at the Crystal Palace in London. This first of a series of exhibitions showing the culture and industry of many countries in the world was organised by the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

Undoubtedly, the participation of the Darmanin firm in an exhibition of this calibre confirmed the prestige this firm enjoyed during the 19th century. At the exhibition, the firm won a medal for its table tops made ​​from marble inlays. The design and technique used was praised by many.

Darmanin also attended the exhibition. However, unlike what one might expect, his role had nothing to do with marble work but with a field for which the firm was hardly known for, namely sculpture of wax statues. Even at the age of 17, he had already made four such statuettes, of which two were of grand masters Jean de la Valette and Marc’Antonio Zondadari. The jury commented that his work reached a high level of excellence.

Darmanin’s handworked wax statues were not a one-off. Rather, wax sculpture seems to have been very close to his heart and an area in which he continued to hone his skill. Suffice it to say that between May 15 and November 15, 1855, he took part, through the Darmanin firm, in the Paris International Exhibition. The works exhibited by the firm there were considered superior to those displayed in earlier shows. At the exhibition, the firm produced works in marble inlay, while Darmanin again presented a set of wax figurines.

Notwithstanding this, Darmanin also produced marble works. A wonderful marble sculpture made by him was a memorial to the dealer Lorenzo Farrugia Bugeja, which he worked on in 1858. The work, resembling a mosaic, was judged as being of the highest level.

The memorial, which originally formed part of the flooring of the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament at St Paul’s Shipwreck collegiate church in Valletta, is today located in a corridor which, from the sacristy, leads to the choir behind the church’s main altar. From the original contract of this memorial, located in the government notarial archives, we discover that during the same time, Darmanin had his workshop at number 12, Strada Stretta, Floriana. It is most likely, then, that it was in this workshop that he fashioned this piece of art which fur-ther confirmed that his talent did not disgrace the popularity acquired by his family over the years.

Darmanin flourished at a time when the Catholic Church was striving to promote devotion to St Joseph. By the decree of the Congregation of Rites Quemadmodum Deus (December 8, 1870), Blessed Pius IX proclaimed St Joseph patron of the Universal Church. This was bold thinking on the part of this Pope, because by this decree, the prodigious vigour of this saint, both in heaven and on earth, continued to blossom.

In Malta, to mark this occasion, celebrations were held and various confraternities dedicated to St Joseph were set up. Thus, a number of statues representing the saint, the custodian of the child Jesus, were commissioned. Darmanin, already renowned for the statuarian art, was called upon to create magnificent statues of St Joseph.

Among them we find that venerated at Żebbuġ parish church, which is under the custody of the confraternity founded in this village in May 1741 in honour of the saint. The statue was commissioned in 1869.

On January 10, 1666, a new confraternity under the protection of St Joseph was founded in Senglea. By 1879, Darmanin had sculpted a papier-mâché statue of St Joseph for his home town.

In this statue, St Joseph and Baby Jesus are Darmanin’s, but the two angels, one holding a lily and the other a small cross, were made by someone else. The reason for this was that Darmanin’s early death left the statue incomplete.

The statue of St Joseph, which used to be carried shoulder-high during a procession held on the third Sunday after Easter, is now kept in a central niche in the sacristy of the parish. The sacristy was always the seat of the Sodality of the Clergy, founded in this parish around 1599, which held St Joseph as its patron.

This was not the only important work Darmanin gave to his birth-place. In 1870, he fashioned the sculpture of Judith for the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady celebrated in Senglea. This statue was a first for street decorations during village feasts.

Besides the two statues of St Joseph in Senglea and Żebbuġ and that of Naxxar, it is likely that the statues of the saint found in the parishes of Ħamrun, Floriana and Żabbar also emerged from Darmanin’s capable hands. By comparing certain details, such as the position of the elbow, inclination of the head of the saint and child, and the voluminous drapery of the mantle and dress, one is led to conclude that they were all made by him.

Wax sculpture seems to have been very close to his heart, and an area in which he continued to hone his skills

Darmanin also made Marian statues. Among these are that of Our Lady of the Girdle at Għarb basilica, Our Lady of Doctrine at Tarxien parish church and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, revered in the parish church dedicated to her in Sliema.

It was believed that the statue of Our Lady of Doctrine was fashioned by Gerolamo’s uncle Carlo Darmanin, whose name was synonymous with work in papier-mâché. However, a tiny receipt, signed by Gerolamo Darmanin, changed this view. This receipt, bearing the date of May 31, 1877, and which is stored in the archive of the confraternity, states: “Dichiaro qui sottoscritto d’aver ricevuto dal molto Rev.do. Dr. Don Francesco F. Attard, parroco della chiesa di C. Tarxien, liri venti, scellini sei e soldi tre, in pezzi di Sicilia, in quanto a lire venti per costo e manifattura di una statua di cartapesta rappresentante la Madonna della Dottrina, ed in quanto sei scellini e tre soldi per costo dello stellato di detta statua.”

The receipt says that Darmanin received the sum of 20 pounds, six shillings and three pence as payment for the work done on a papier-mâché statue of Our Lady of Doctrine. The payment was made ​​in Sicilian coins by Don Francesco Felice Attard. The first procession with this statue was held on June 10, 1877.

The confraternity of Our Lady of Doctrine was founded in the Tarxien parish under the guidance of Don Paulo Lauron on May 31, 1874. For this confraternity, Darmanin created this unique statue in Malta. Architect Michaele Busuttil created an original design both for the statue and its plinth and often visited Darmanin while he was working on the statue. It is unfortunate that today, after interventions carried out in 1923 by Angelo Dalli, we can no longer enjoy this statue in its original state.

It is not surprising that this statue is considered a truly beautiful oeuvre. Our Lady stands with arms open, while with her sweet look she tends to three young children. The statue’s renown is not only due to its artistic merits. This is because the children before Our Lady represent the three social classes – the nobility, the rich and the poor – present in the Tarxien village at the time. At a time when many European countries were undergoing the Industrial Revolution, there was a need to convey the idea that in the eyes of God and Mother Mary, there existed no difference between poor and rich.

On June 3, 1877, while the world was celebrating the Episcopal Jubilee of Pope Pius IX, Archbishop’s delegate Mgr Felice Cutajar solemnly laid the first stone of a church in Sliema dedicated to Our Lady under the title Nostra Signora del Sacro Cuore di Gesù. This was done under the leadership of Don Paulo Vella. It was Don Paulo himself who in January 1878 ordered the statue of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was to be Darmanin’s last work. The dealer, Giuseppe Galea, offered to shoulder all the costs on condition that the image of Our Lady resembled that which was approved by Pope Pius IX.

Darmanin worked on the statue between January and July 1879. The statue was later taken to Francesco Gauci’s workshop for gilding. When completed, it was kept at the monastery of the Sisters of St Ursula in Valletta, pending completion of the church building. The statue was blessed by Don Francesco Tabone Caruana, the chaplain of the Sisters, who had been delegated by the bishop.

It was on June 26, 1881, that the church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart was blessed and opened for public worship. On that same day, the new statue of Our Lady was taken from Valletta to Sliema, by means of a solemn devotional pilgrimage. Several bands participated, including the La Valette Band. This was the first external celebration ever held in Sliema.

Five months later, on November 12, 1881, after a contract made ​​at the Curia, the church dedicated to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart was handed over to the Franciscan Friars Minor. After much trouble and daunting obstacles, Archbishop Dom Mauro Caruana, by decree of September 24, 1918, established the church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a new parish. Here, and through the statue of the Madonna, the Marian devotion sown by Fr Paul Vella would flourish.

On Sunday, August 3, 1879, at 7.45am, Darmanin died at his home in Senglea, which at that time was 79, Strada Due Porte. He was only 45. At 7am the next day, he was buried in Santa Marija Addolorata Cemetery.

There is no doubt that Darmanin deserves to be better known and recognised. This is not only because his activity as a statuarian shows that he was one of the best modellers but also because within the firm G. Darmanin e Figli, one of the most prestigious and popular Maltese firms, he was a formidable exponent.

His wide participation in overseas exhibitions testifies to his virtuosity. The work he presented for the exhibitions is evidence of the talent and love he had for sculpture, so much so that, most likely, it was he who initiated the work in figurative art among the Darmanin family members.

In 1851, by making use of wax, he even preceded his own uncle, Carlo Darmanin in the use of papier-mâché, an art form of which Carlo would later become an eminent practitioner.

Gerolamo Damanin, a man praised for his exquisite skill as a sculptor and a statuarian of a high repute, made ​​a name for himself and was a tribute to his native town, Senglea.