The Italian Chapel, Orkney - A Testament to Faith

The Italian Chapel is an exquisitely decorated Catholic chapel, situated on the tiny island of Lamb Holm, Orkney. A strange place to find such a building you may ask, but to find out how it's construction came about, we need to look back to World War 2.....

During both world wars, the nearby body of water, Scapa Flow, was the main military naval base for allied forces. This was due to its distance from enemy airfields and provided sheltered anchorage. However on 14th October 1939, the allied battleship HMS Royal Oak was torpedoed by a U boat. There were 1,400 people on board and of these 833 were lost. After more attacks in the area, new defences to Scapa Flow were ordered by Winston Churchill. One such measure was to build a series of four causeways to protect the eastern approach to Scapa Flow. Work began in May 1940 and was completed in September 1945.

A huge workforce was required to perform this Herculean construction task. A large proportion of this labour came from 1,300 Italian Prisoners of War who were transported to Orkney from early 1942. By 1943 it was decided by the camp's commandant and the camp's priest that a place of worship was needed, so work on the chapel began, using just the limited resources available. It's beautifully ornate facade is in stark contrast to the building behind, which consists of two Nissen Huts joined together! The interior is simply made from plasterboard and leftover concrete. Most of the interior decoration was done by a POW called Domenico Chiocchetti. In photographs it seems the friezes are three dimensional, but in fact it is all done with paint! The light holders were fashioned from baked bean tins and the font made from a car exhaust! Chiocchetti remained on the island after the war, in order to finish the chapel and he has returned on several occasions to help with restoration.

Today, the Churchill Barriers, which were originally constructed for defence purposes, now serve as road links, carrying the A961 from Kirkwall to Burwick. The Italian Chapel is still used as a chapel and is a popular tourist attraction, receiving 100,000 visitors annually!  It is a moving place to visit, a symbol of overcoming adversity and of reconciliation.

There is a short video clip below and a map to illustrate the layout of the Churchill Barriers.