This delightful little round church situated above Kariba town on the hill known as Kariba Heights, was built by workers and engineers employed by Impresit, the Italian company contracted to build the Kariba dam wall. The church is dedicated to St Barbara, who is the patron saint of engineers/construction workers.
On the outside walls of the church is a dedication in Latin to the memory of the construction workers killed during the building of Kariba Dam and a plaque with the names of those who lost their lives is found inside. The church has beautiful stained glass windows and an open-air design which is perfectly suited to the hot climate of Kariba. A bell tower at the back of the church still contains the original bell constructed by hand by Italian workers at the time and hoisted into place with a crane.
Read the detailed story about the church bell of Santa Barbara at this link: The Bell of Santa Barbara Church: A Modern Legend in the Making