The Italian prisoners in Orkney, thousands of miles from their homeland, deeply felt the need for a place of worship. On September 30th 1943 Padre Gioachino Giacobazzi of the Order of Little Brothers arrived at the camp and through his enthusiastic efforts and help of Major Buckland, the camp commandant, two Nissen huts were made available to the prisoners. They were placed end fo end and were originally intended to serve as a school and a church. Domenico Chiocchetti, and artist, had originally constructed a concrete statue of St. George Slaying the Dragon which presided over the camp “square”. He gathered together a team of craftsmen and began work on a sanctuary.