An Italian Chapel in Zimbabwe

My thanks to an old friend, Mr Marlow Gazzoli, for sharing these pictures which he took during a recent visit to a chapel dedicated to St Francis of Assisi in the city of Masvingo in central Zimbabwe. It was built by Italian P.O.W.s who had been captured by the British during fighting in Africa during World War II, and brought to an internment camp in what was then the British colony of Rhodesia. (Masvingo was then known as Fort Victoria. According to some sources on the internet, the camp also housed a number of German, Austrian and Italian civilians who had been interned by the British as citizens of hostile powers.) The chapel was constructed from 1942-46; afterwards, two wings were added to house the remains of 71 Italian soldiers who died during their imprisonment. It is still maintained, with Mass celebrated on a regular basis, including an annual Mass on November 4th, Italian Armed Forced Day, for the repose of the men whose are buried there.

“Italy to her sons.”

All of the work around the altar, in the apse, and on the ceiling that appears to be mosaic is actually painted. This is more obvious in some of the pictures below where one can see that parts of the paint have fallen of the wall.

One of the three columbaria for the soldiers.

In the center of the ceiling of the nave, St Francis of Assisi, to whom the chapel is dedicated, is shown receiving the Stigmata.

On a wall towards the back is this image of St Catherine of Siena, representing the crucial role which she played in bringing the papacy back to Rome after the popes had resided for nearly seventy years in Avignon. In 1939, less than three months before World War II broke out, Pope Pius XII had declared Ss Francis and Catherine the co-patrons of Italy.

A dedicatory inscription which explains the chapel’s origin.

Repeated in Italian.

“This chapel, which today receives the remains of brothers who died in prison, was consecrated by His Excellency Mons. F. Mazzieri, Vicar Apostolic of Ndola, on January 27, 1957, in the presence of the Consul General Dr G. Barone and the Italian Community.” (Ndola is in Zambia, which was then called Northern Rhodesia, about 640 miles to the north of Masvingo; in April of 1959, Mons. Mazzieri became its first bishop.)