The Italian Chapel

Orkney Italian Chapel, date of photo estimated - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 01 Aug 2018

Report this image
Front view of the chapel - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Interior view excluding the rood screen - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Interior view including the rood screen - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Full interior view - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
St George slaying the dragon located outside of the chapel (representing POW triumph over defeat and loneliness) and 'the will to kill all misunderstandings among people of different cultures'. - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Information board 1 - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Information Board - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Madonna and Child painting - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
One of the stations of the cross - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
lamp carved from bully beef tins and interior painting - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
The Wayside Shrine, given by people of Moena; originally multi coloured - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
font created from car exhaust and concrete and interior painting - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Interior hand painting 1 - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Interior hand painting 2 - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
interior hand painting 7 including Domenico Chiochetti's Madonna and Child chancel - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Interior hand painting 3 - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Interior hand painting 4 - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Interior hand painting 5 - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Interior hand painting 6 - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Interior hand painting 8 - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
interior hand painting 9 - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
interior hand painting 10 - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
interior hand painting 11 - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Bell tower including bas-relief of the head of Christ; created by Pennisi - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image
Cut and polished stones that read '1944' (the date the chapel was completed) ; created by the stonemason Buttapasta. - Taken by © Lisa Jennings (WMR-84704) 16 Aug 2019

Report this image

Submit a new image

Reference WMO/265773

Address:

A961

Lamb Holm

KW17 2RT

Scotland

Open large map

Edit memorial name, location & address

Status: On original site

Type: Freestanding

Location: External

Setting: Within a garden/park/churchyard/enclosure/Marketplace

Description: Chapel/church

Materials:

Metal Iron
Stone Stone (any)

Lettering: Painted

Conflicts:

Second World War (1939-1945)

About the memorial: Roman Catholic chapel created by Italian Prisoner's of War from 2 Nissen huts. Created by hand from left over concrete (from construction of the Churchill Barriers- which are WMO/289036, see also WMO/202617 for those killed in the construction of the barriers), items scavenged and materials bought from exchanges with toys that they made whilst 'imprisoned' in Camp 60 to build the Churchill Barriers of Orkney. Constructed and completed with the skills of the POW's. Corrugated interior hidden by compressed cardboard (chancel) and plasterboard (rest of chapel). Hand painted religious figures within chancel area and rest of chapel hand painted to give the effect of three dimensional brickwork and carved stone (gothic and classical style). Altar made from concrete. Chancel floor tiles recovered from a sunken blockship. Rood screen and gate constructed from scavenged wrought iron. Font constructed from car exhaust covered with concrete. Candelabre constructed from scrap metal. Lamps constructed from bully beef tins. Fascia made from concrete. Windows handmade and hand painted to give impression of stained glass (glass now plain in appearance). St George slaying the dragon statue outside of chapel constructed from barbed wire covered with concrete. Wayside shrine donated later by people from Moena, the Italian village where the primary artist Domenico Chiochetti lived. Wayside shrine originally multi coloured; later painted to one colour following damage due to harsh climate and vandalism.

Edit memorial details

Report a concern with this memorial

Report a duplicate memorial record

Report an inappropriate record

Submit a condition update

Report this condition update

View more details

As a conservation charity which gives grants War Memorials Trust can support repair and conservation works that follow best conservation practice. Grants are awarded from funds raised by the charity so money available is limited and is therefore focused on eligible war memorials.

War Memorials Trust’s Definition of a war memorial for funding purposes helpsheet explains which war memorials are eligible and ineligible for funding.

As a charity, War Memorials Trust relies on voluntary donations and every contribution, no matter how large or small, makes a really big difference to our work. Your donation will help protect and conserve war memorials for future generations so please support War Memorials Trust’s work.

donate here

Submit a new comment

Comments:

The chapel was completed in 1944, just before departure of Italian POW's (majority to Overdale Camp, Skipton, Yorkshire), on 9th September 1944. (POW's within Camp 34 (additional Italian POW camp on Orkney ) left in 1945). Domenico Chiochetti (the primary artist) remained behind to complete the font and then joined others in Yorkshire before returning home to Italy. The chapel remained within the confines of the camp area that was still closed off from public access. It began to fall in to disrepair and to appear bleak. POW camps were intended to be cleared after the end of the war and land returned to the original owners, in a condition as near as possible to how they were before being used as camps. The chapel should have been demolished at this stage however the chapel survived the clearing of the camp (unlike the chapel at Camp 34) thanks to a member of the Balfour Beatty gang who were presented with the task of camp clearance: Thomas Alexander Thomson. Thomson, as an Elder in the Church of Scotland, claimed that it should not be taken down as it was a holy place that should be left alone. He spoke to the others in the gang and ultimately all evidence of the camp was removed but the chapel remained. The chapel served as a local/tourist attraction during forthcoming years but soon fell into further disrepair due to the effects of the Orkney climate, as no one was actually looking after it. The rood screen began to rust and the cross at the top of the bell tower snapped off. The main door rotted, letting in not only the elements of weather but also mice. The facade began to move away from the hut and Christ's face on the facade began to wear away. Some visitors then vandalised the chapel by writing graffiti on the walls. By 1958 the chapel was in a sorry state. Father Joseph-Ryland Whitaker, Lord Lieutenant Mr Sutherland Graeme and the locals decided that they needed to repair their 'gem' and the Italian Chapel Preservation Committee was formed. It was decided that the chapel needed urgent attention and immediate repairs were carried out by locals tradesmen however it was decided that, long term, only one man really knew how to return it to it's original state of beauty; the original primary artist, Domenico Chiochetti. An appeal was launched to find Chiochetti via the BBC. He was located in Moena, Italy where he had returned after the war and had become a house painter. Chiochetti returned to Orkney in March 1960 and worked for three weeks, with the help of a Kirkwall man, Stanley Hall. Chiochetti returned to Orkney several times until he was no longer able to travel due to ill health. He died in 7th May 1999 aged 88 years (and 51 weeks). The Italian Chapel Preservation Committee still works continuously to maintain and to restore the chapel, as required. Ongoing works, intended to keep the chapel as original as possible whilst prolonging the life of a building which is essentially a Nissen hut (only intended to last circa 20 years) have included: repairing areas where tourists have torn off sections of the wall, replacement of disintegrated plasterboard, repair of water leakage access points, cutting out of rotted plasterboard, input of new supports to fix plasterboard to, removal of rust from under the surface of the painted dove, replacement of original windows meaning the loss of Chiochetti's painted glass, the placing of a layer of bitumen over the entire exterior of the building as the concrete applied by the POW's no longer protected the exterior, installation of drainage facilities, reinforcement of the bell tower, removal of the bell rope, repairs to the lantern chains, the installation of a dehumidifier, black staining of the Wayside Shrine...all whilst trying to peel away the original artwork, and replace it after repairs to retain the original look. The chapel is described as being in a fragile state.

Submitted by:

Submitted date:

Submit a new link

Report this link

Edit information

Inscription:

On the St George slaying the dragon statue outside of the chapel: P.di.C./ ITALIANI/ li 7 - 8 - 1943/

Names:

NONE

Suggest information

Listing grade:

A (Scotland)

Listing URL:

http://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB12728

Unique listing reference number:

LB12728

Conservation area:

Information Required

Local list / Historic environment record:

Information Required

Claim Custodianship

Custodian name:

Information Required

Custodian website:

Information Required