Lamb Holm
Lamb Holm is a small, low-lying island in Orkney, Scotland, situated in Scapa Flow, the great sheltered anchorage that lies between the Orkney Mainland and the southern chain of islands. Though modest in size — little more than a rocky outcrop rising gently above the tidal waters — Lamb Holm carries an extraordinary weight of history and is celebrated worldwide for containing one of the most unexpected and moving works of art to emerge from the Second World War: the Italian Chapel, sometimes called the "Miracle of Camp 60." This tiny, ornate Roman Catholic chapel, fashioned from two Nissen huts and scrap materials by Italian prisoners of war, draws visitors from across the globe who come to see what devotion and artistry can achieve even in the bleakest of circumstances.
The island's wartime story begins in earnest after the catastrophic sinking of HMS Royal Oak in October 1939, when the German submarine U-47, commanded by Günther Prien, penetrated the supposedly secure waters of Scapa Flow through gaps between the southern islands and torpedoed the battleship with the loss of over 800 lives. This disaster prompted Winston Churchill to order the construction of permanent causeways — the Churchill Barriers — linking the southern Orkney islands of Mainland, Lamb Holm, Glimps Holm, Burray, and South Ronaldsay. The labour force brought in to build these massive engineering works consisted largely of Italian prisoners of war from North Africa, who were housed in a camp on Lamb Holm designated Camp 60. Over 550 Italian prisoners lived here at its peak, and it was among these men that the idea of transforming two ordinary Nissen huts into a place of worship took root.
The Italian Chapel stands at the northern end of Lamb Holm, and the moment you approach it, the contrast between the austere Orcadian landscape and the delicate, hand-painted interior is nothing short of startling. The exterior façade was fashioned from concrete, shaped to resemble the front of a proper Italian church complete with a small bell tower, bas-relief decoration, and a painted trompe l'oeil stonework finish. The interior is where the true artistry lives: prisoner Domenico Chiocchetti led the decorative work, painting the altar area to mimic intricate brickwork and creating a stunning depiction of the Madonna and Child above the altar, based on a holy card his mother had given him. The ceiling is painted in rich blues and greens to suggest ornate Gothic vaulting, and the altar rails were fashioned from scrap metal shaped and painted to look like wrought iron. The effect is one of hushed wonder — stepping inside feels like stepping into a small Italian church transported wholesale to the edge of the North Atlantic.
The soundscape of Lamb Holm is one of wind and water and birdsong. The island is exposed to the broad skies and brisk breezes that characterise Orkney, and the smell of salt and heather mingles with the peaty air. On calm days the reflections of the Churchill Barriers and the distant hills of Hoy shimmer in the waters of Scapa Flow. On stormier days the Atlantic asserts itself and the barriers are lashed with spray. Despite the industrial origins of the causeway that connects it to the Mainland, the island retains a raw, elemental quality, and the chapel's presence within that landscape only heightens the sense of incongruity and therefore of miracle.
Domenico Chiocchetti's contribution did not end with the war. When the Italian prisoners were repatriated in 1945, Chiocchetti remained behind to complete his work on the Madonna and Child. He returned to Orkney in 1960 for a restoration visit and again in 1964, and the chapel was restored once more in 1992 with the assistance of Italian craftsmen. Chiocchetti died in 1999 in his home town of Moena in the Dolomites, but his connection to Lamb Holm endured throughout his life; he maintained a correspondence with the people of Orkney for decades. A preservation committee in Orkney continues to maintain the chapel to this day, and it remains a consecrated place of worship.
Lamb Holm is reached by driving south from Kirkwall on the A961, crossing the Churchill Barriers in sequence — a drive that is itself one of the more dramatic road journeys in Scotland, with the sea pressing close on either side and occasionally surging over the roadway in heavy weather. There is a small car park beside the Italian Chapel. Visitors arriving by public bus from Kirkwall can travel the same route, which also serves Burray and South Ronaldsay. The chapel is open to visitors year-round and entry is free, though donations are welcomed for its ongoing maintenance. The best times to visit are late spring and summer, when the Orcadian light is extraordinary, stretching well into the evening, and the hedgerows and verges along the barriers bloom with wildflowers. In winter the crossing can be atmospheric in a bleaker way, but visitors should be prepared for wind and rain.
A fascinating postscript to the chapel's story involves the Campo Imperatore statue of St George that stands outside the chapel entrance. This was a parting gift from Chiocchetti himself, and the entire ensemble of chapel, concrete façade, and surrounding garden represents one of the more remarkable instances of cultural exchange and human grace to emerge from the entire conflict. The Italian Chapel has appeared in documentaries, novels, and travel writing; it was featured by the BBC as one of the most unusual and moving religious sites in Britain. It is a place that invites silence and reflection, and most visitors, whatever their religious background, find themselves moved by the dedication and longing for beauty that its creation represents — a testament to what people carry with them even in captivity.