The Italian Chapel, Orkney

550 Italian prisoners of war, captured in North Africa during World War II, were brought to Orkney in 1942.

200 were based at Camp 60 on Lamb Holm. In 1943, the camp's new commandant, and Father Giacombazzi, the Camp's priest agreed that a place of worship was required.

The chapel was constructed from limited materials by the prisoners. Two Nissen huts were joined end-to-end. The corrugated interior was then covered with plasterboard and the altar and altar rail were constructed from concrete left over from work on the barriers. Most of the interior decoration was done by Domenico Chiocchetti, a POW. They created a front facade out of concrete, concealing the shape of the hut and making the building look like a church.

Chiocchetti remained on the island to finish the chapel, even when his fellow prisoners were released shortly before the end of the war