Paola, (or old name Pawla), is a town in the south of Malta. It is named after its founder, the Grandmaster Antoine de Paule, but is commonly known as Raħal Ġdid, which means new town in Maltese.Church of Christ the King Paola is renowned for its Good Friday procession, its football club, Hibernians FC, for the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum and for its large church (in fact the largest in Malta).There are two parish churches one is dedicated to Christ the King and the other to Our Lady of Lourdes. The feast of Christ the King is celebrated on the 4th Sunday of July.The town is a commercial centre in the south of Malta, about 5 km from the capital Valletta. As the central hub for all traffic between the South and the rest of the island Paola today has one of the busiest town centres in the island. Paola is within easy reach of the capital Valletta and is nestled between the surrounding towns of Fgura, Luqa, Marsa, Sta Lucia and Tarxien.From a mere 200 inhabitants in its infancy, Paola now boasts a population of around 12,000.As well as providing the normal social services found in most modern towns Paola is also home to the most comprenhensive sports facilities on the island and has its own thriving industrial estate.
Historical Sites
Church of St. Ubakdeska
Fra Antoine De Paule became Grandmaster of the Order of St. John on the 10th of March 1623 when he was 71 years old. On the 20th July of 1626 he set up a new town which he named "PAULA" in his honour. De Paule wanted to build a church in the town which he wanted to dedicate to St. Ubaldesca who was a sister in the Order of St. John. Pope Urbanus VIII issued the Bull by which he gave permission for this church to be built. This Papal Bull was issued from the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome on 31st July 1629. An extract from this Bull reads as follows: "we accept this request and to the afore mentioned Antonius, with the Apostolic authority granted by this Bull, we give the authority that in the mentioned town in a location of his preference, as long as it is comfortable and just, a church can be built in honour of the afore-mentioned Saint" On the 12th November of 1629, the Council of the Order of St. John decided to effect what was written on the Bull. The laying of the first foundation stone of this church was celebrated in grand style by Grand Master de Paule himself on Sunday 25th August 1630
The Hypogeum
The Hypogeum has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Hypogeum is a labyrinthine complex of man-made chambers hewn out of the limestone extending some 11 metres below ground. It appears to have been used both as a burial site and as a temple. Neolithic man carved out the Hypogeum using only antlers and stone picks as tools, and in semi darkness. The Hypogeum is made up of three superimposed levels. The upper level resembles the earlier rock-cut tombs found elsewhere on the Islands. The middle level, hewn out during the temple period (3800 - 2500 B.C.) is made up of numerous chambers. Many statuettes, amulets, figurines and vases were recovered here. The most famous figurine is that of the so-called Sleeping Lady, a reclining figurine, perhaps meant as a representation of eternal sleep. It is on display at the National Museum of Archaeology, Valletta
"On the day of Sunday, the 25th day of the month of August 1630, which is the feast of the king Saint Ludovico, the Most Serene and the Most Revered Grand Master Fra Antoine de Paule went to the town, which for the past four years had taken the name of his family and which was established in the land of Marsa, and he was accompanied by numerous Venerable Gran Cruci as well as by numerous brethren from our Order and in front of a crowd of people he laid the first stone of the church which was to be built for the grace of God and the Holy Virgin Ubaldesca, sister of our Religion, with the permission of the Most Reverend Prior of the church, Fra Salvatur Imbroll, who was adorned with pontifical clothes and according to the rites of the Holy Roman Church. This was done with the apolostic authority given by the Magnificent His Holiness from Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, on the 31st of July 1629 and which was written in the public deed of the Notary Lorenzo Grima."St. Ubaldesca was the first parish church built in the village of Paola. It was originally built by Grand Master De Paule and dedicated to St. Ubaldesca, a saint venerated by the Knights of St. John. The first stone of this church was laid on 1630. It was enlarged in 1900 to accommodate the ever increasing population of Paola and it became a Parish in 1910 when it was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A new and larger church, dedicated to Christ the King, was eventually built to replace it.Today, the church needs urgent repair and restoration. It would be a pity if nothing is done for this little church which up to now has been an important landmark for the history of Paola. Immediate action needs to be taken by the appropriate authorities to save this church which forms part of the Cultural Heritage of Paola.
Kordin Temples
Kordin I formed one of three sites on the high plateau overlooking the Grand Harbour. Kordin I was excavated in part by A.A. Caruana, to be continued by Sir Themistocles Zammit in 1908 and finished by T. Ashby and T.E. Peet in 1909. The building was poorly preserved and consisted of small and irregular rooms. Kordin I was left open to the elements and air attacks during the Second World War, and the building of an industrial estate on the site, have obliterated all remains.
Kordin II Temples
Kordin II was first investigated by C. Vassallo in 1840. A.A. Caruana started to excavate the site properly in 1892. The excavation was continued by Albert Mayer in 1901 and finished by Ashby and Peet in their campaign of 1908-9. The chronology was difficult to figure out, and whether all of the building could be dated to the temple period is debatable. The site must have been used during all of the temple period since a small amount of pottery from all this period's phases were found during the excavations. Kordin II was damaged by the air bombardments of the Second World War and the new buildings that were constructed since.
Kordin 3
The temple, in a very ruinous condition, is of the standard Ggantija phase 3-apse design. It is the only temple whose forecourt, in front of the concave facade, is stone paved as is the entrance passage leading to the central court. Behind the temple and contemporary with it are small rooms possibly used for storerooms or the like, or even an irregular lobed minor temple. The most notable feature on the site is the 2.75 metre long 'trough' lying across the entrance to the left apse. It has seven deep transverse grooves produced by grinding. It is made of hard limestone brought from over 2 kilometres away so it is highly probable that it is for for grinding corn (a multiple quern) and contemporary with the temple rather than for grinding 'deffun', the traditional Maltese roofing material, which would make it considerably more recent. The site is in a walled enclosure next to the Church and is kept locked.
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