growing population, and Paola became a parish in 1910, when it was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. A new and larger church, the Basilica of Christ the King, was eventually built to replace it in Antoine de Paule Square, the town's main square; it started to be used in 1936 and was consecrated and dedicated on June 3, 1967, by Archbishop Mikiel Gonzi. Since then, the church has undergone restoration and its interior is adorned with gold guilding and a niche holding the parish's titular statue of Christ the King. In April 2020 it was raised to the dignity of a minor basilica. Paola also hosts the only mosque in Malta, the Mariam Al-Batool Mosque, whose first stone was laid by Muammar Gaddafi in 1978 and its doors were open to the public in 1982, and officiated in 1984. The complex also includes the Mariam Al-Batool School, the Islamic Cultural Centre (Ċentru Kulturali Islamiku), a courtyard, the Malta Islamic Cemetery (Iċ-Ċimiterju Islamiku f'Malta) and the Mediterranean Garden. Since the 1960s until 2018, Pjazza Antoine de Paole (Paola Square) included a central pedestrian space, with a kiosk shaded by trees. In 2015, the Government of Malta entrusted architect Christopher Mintoff (nephew of Dom Mintoff) with a €3 million project for the regeneration of the square. Despite being presented as aimed at the creation of an "urban garden", the project entailed uprooting all the mature trees on the square. The architect justified this as the roots were damaging the underground infrastructure and the sappy spores of the ficus trees were making the floor filthy and attracting insects. The works proceeded with delays throughout 2017, although the square was not fully pedestrianised due to pressures from local shop-owners. Residents complained that the mature trees had been replaced with saplings, unable to provide the same shade. Demographics Band clubs Soċjeta' Filarmonika 11 ta' Frar- Madonna ta' Lourdes De Paule Philharmonic Society Christ the King Band (Is-Soċjetà Filarmonika De Paule Banda Kristu Re) (tal-Ħomor) Christ the King Band Club (Ghaqda Socjali w Muzikali Kristu Sultan Banda Paola) (tal-Ħodor) Zones in Paola Għajn Dwieli Il-Qortin Kordin (Corradino) Moll il-Faħam L-Ordinanza Ras Ħanżir Tal-Borġ Tax-Xewk Paola main roads Pjazza Antone De Paule (Paola Square) Telgħat Raħal Ġdid (Paola Hill) Triq Bormla (Cospicua Road) Triq Għajn Dwieli (Għajn Dwieli Road) Triq Ħal Luqa (Luqa Road) Triq Ħal Tarxien (Tarxien Road) Triq Ħaż-Żabbar (Żabbar Road) Vjal Kristu