​At once my demons and angels were reconciled.

​The Italian Chapel, on the remote Orkney Islands, is striking and beautiful. Set above the rugged shoreline on the tiny island of Lambholm. The story of its construction reflects the light of creativity shining out of the darkness of adversity. Yet it was outside at the back of the chapel, where all you can see is the mere Nissen Hut it was built from, that I encountered a miracle I hadn't even realized I was searching for.

The Italian Chapel was once part of a World War 2 POW Camp holding Italian Soldiers captured in Africa. At their request, two Nissen Huts within the camp placed end to end were allocated to them for use as a school and a chapel. One of the prisoners, an artist named Domenico Chioccetti, took charge of decorating the Nissen Huts as a chapel.

His artistry inspired a building so beautiful that it brought to my mind such wonders as St Peter's Basilica or the Taj Mahal.

The ornate and beautiful facade around the main entrance is the first thing you notice about the Italian Chapel. The most striking part of the beautiful and ornate interior is a picture of Mother Mary with the Baby Jesus on her lap.

The picture is a reproduction of The Madonna Of The Olives by Nicolo Barabino. A small copy of this picture had been given to Chioccetti by his mother and he carried it with him throughout the war. Everything about this to me was the power and reach of a mother's love.

I walked outside and around the Chapel to get a picture from the back.

There, I found a complete absence of art, hidden away from the rest of the structure like a dark secret or an imperfection, just a Nissen Hut. Nothing more, nothing less.

Like the Italian Chapel, each of us has our facade with which we face the world and to which its eyes are drawn. We try to keep our deeper thoughts and imperfections hidden behind the facade hoping they remain unnoticed, just like the back of the Italian Chapel.

I recognized the Nissen Hut as a valid part of this beautiful and breathtaking place. Thus, I came to recognize my own faults, secrets, and imperfections as a valid part of me. At once my demons and angels were reconciled and I was at peace with every part of myself.

At war, Chioccetti and his comrades had no doubt experienced the very worst of humanity and themselves. Yet, through the conversion of a drab Nissen Hut into a magnificent chapel, they found a way to demonstrate the very best of humanity and express the very best of themselves.

It heartened me to see that this positive expression, more than anything else, became their legacy. That some good can be found in every heart and every situation is the positive message of this place that travels on through time.

​Click here to read more about the Italian Chapel on Visit Scotland.