From Electric Energy to Spiritual Light

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN ITALY

◼ In the early 1900’s, industries began springing up in the mountains of Pistoia, Italy. In order to transport both raw and finished materials, an electric railway was built. Inaugurated on June 21, 1926, the narrow-gauge railway wound over the hills and mountains for about ten miles [15 km].

Electric energy was supplied to the train by way of a substation (top left). In time, however, a drop in commercial traffic led to the railway’s demise, and it was shut down in 1965. But what happened to the buildings that had been built along the railway? Some fell into disrepair; others were eventually converted into bars and bus depots.

The electric substation was restored. In 1997 it was purchased by the San Marcello Pistoiese Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses and was transformed into one of the most distinctive Kingdom Halls in Tuscany (bottom left). The members of the congregation that meets in this former substation are busy “shining as illuminators” in these mountain areas, preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom. (Philippians 2:15; Matthew 24:14) Yes, a building that was originally used to distribute energy in a literal sense is now used to radiate spiritual light.​—Matthew 5:14-16; 28:19, 20.