Paola is a small village in Malta, Europe having a total area of 2.5km². The locality where Paola is found today has been inhabited for at least 4500 years. This has been historically and scientifically proven by the existence of the Hypogeum, an underground temple hewn by human hands out of the rocks. The Hypogeum is a World Heritage site. Paola, or Casal Paola as it was referred to back then, was set up by the Grand Master of the O5der of St. John Fra Antione De Paule and it started with a population of about 200. Today the population of Paola is about 10,000. Paola is situated about 5km away from Valletta. Nearbly localities include Tarxien (where other Neolithic Temples can be seen), Marsa, Luqa, Fgura and St. Lucia.

There are two parishes in Paola - one dedicated to Christ the King and which is the older one. The other is dedicated to the Holy Mary of Lourdes. Previously the parish of Paola was first dedicated to St. Ulbadesca and then to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as can be seen from the titutal painting in the oldest Church of St. Ubaldesca.
 

The Emblem of Paola is made up of two sections. The upper part shows three yellow spirals, one linked to the next, on a red background. This represents the Neolithic period. The lower part consists of three Peacocks standing on sheaves of wheat. These are extracted from the coat of arms of Grand Master Antoine de Paule of the Order of St. John who was the founder of Paola.

The intention of these pages in this section, which can be reached by clicking the buttons in the navigation bar above, is to give a bried overview of the historical background as well as other general information related to the Paola or , as is known in Maltese, Rahal Gdid. If you wish to contribute any information, such as photos, articles, etc... you may wish to send them to claudio.boffa@gmail.com.