How true it is that history is a great teacher and it is also true that many times history repeats itself. That is why I was not all surprised by the contribution of the learned professor Mario Buhagiar, (The Sunday Times of Malta, November 27).

I would first of all like to thank him for showing interest in the work and decorations that are being carried out at the Paola parish church. Until recently, academia snubbed Guże Damato, and it is comforting to read that current art historians are starting to reappraise his work.

Prof. Buhagiar felt it was his duty to warn us of the potentially disastrous effects of the embellishment works being undertaken at the Paola church, and called upon the Church authorities to stop this work before it was too late.

Exactly 90 years ago two other eminent scholars felt duty bound to warn the ecclesiastical authorities to halt, not the embellishment of this same church, but the building process itself. They declared that it would be impossible to complete the church and that Damato was not up to the job, as unlike them he was not a university graduate. They then very generously proceeded to make certain modifications to Dama­to’s original plan. These can be seen in the red ink superimposed on the original Damato plan, in the attached photograph.

Had these alterations been implemented the beauty of the present edifice would have been completely ruined, and instead of the open naves of the present day we would have ended up with large solid walls of stone, dividing the church.

Thankfully, against all odds and these expert opinions, and after consultations with the parish priest of the day, Fr Nerik Bonnici, Archbishop Mauro Caruana finally decided to trust Damato  to complete his project.

This courageous decision put him on the right side of history.