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During World War 2, a major construction exercise took place on Orkney. Scapa Flow (which, btw, is Cockney Rhyming slang for 'Go') was a major port for the Royal Navy. However, there were several openings to the east - facing Norway which was occupied by Germany. A German U boat got throughn these openings in 1939 and sank HMS Royal Oak - one of the major ships of the RN. In order to secure the moorings from attack through these gaps, barriers/causeways were constructed from Mainland to South Ronaldsay. These barriers were build by Italian Prisoners of War. There were no Catholic chapels available to the POWs, so they worshipped in a couple of old Nissen huts joined end to end on Lambholm where their camp was. One of the prisoners, Domenico Chiocchetti, decided that this was not a fitting place for worship, and he started on a programme of improvements using cheap materials. The rest of the POW camp has now disappeared, but the Italian Chapel remains. |
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The front of the Chapel. This is made of brick and cement, and hides the corrugated iron structure of the building. The roundel over the entrance is a bas relief of Christ's face. |
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Looking
out from the Chapel to the Italian Flag, and Scapa Flow beyond. Alos decorating
the view is the rear of my car, and the back of Nancy Tague.
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The altarpiece. The stone is not stone, but trompe l'oeil painting. |
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A
longer shot of the choir area. The screen was made from scrap metal by
a POW blacksmith.
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For more information about the Italian Chapel, go here or here
Created 15 June
2001.
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