I’ve been inside the Sistine Chapel and there’s no doubt Michelangelo had his moments. I’ve also been inside the Italian Chapel on the Orkney island of Lamb Holm and, without comparing the two, the one constructed by Italian prisoners of war during the Second World War is equally as jaw-droppingly inspirational as the one in Rome. After their day job the prisoners set about constructing the chapel from two semicircular, corrugated, end-to-end, tin Nissen huts. They also created a concrete facade, concealing the huts from the front and making the building look like a church. And it’s still used as a chapel, or will be again when the pandemic is over.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 18, 2021 17:26 UTC