How to reach the tourist office?
Free access.
The Etelley Chapel in Samoëns was built in 1818. It owes its name to an old noble family of the place "de Lestelley" and its denomination to a brotherhood of the Holy Spirit.
This religious building was built on 24th August 1457 by the inhabitants of Etelley and Vernay. The inhabitants of Etelley and Vernay owned the land on which the church was built in 1818. The brotherhood to which it is dedicated was founded in the 12th century by Guy de Montpellier. It is one of the oldest charitable institutions. Nowadays it has disappeared, but it is still active in Poland, Spain, and Burundi. Its original aim was to bring together all those who wished to help the poor, the sick, and the orphans. The Etelley Chapel, therefore, bears witness to a long history of blessings and misfortunes.
As the Verney stream is frequently flooded, the chapel had to allow the villagers " ... to pray in public, especially when they had to fear the overflowing of the stream... ". Moreover, in January 2018, the year of the chapel's bicentenary, the hamlet of Etelley was evacuated due to a flooding of the Verney stream during the Eleanor storm. This chapel is one of nine chapels, spread over the hamlets of Samoëns. Visits are organized and walking tours allow you to discover the wealth of these historic monuments and the hamlets of the village.
Summer is Samoëns means a holiday in a small town full of old chalets and flower-decked balcones or in the renovated wooden farmhouses in the nearby hamlets. It means a whole range of leisure activities.
See the chapels in the villages around Samoëns! You can drive to all the chapels except the one in La Jaÿsinia botanic garden. And here’s a tip - explore the village on foot to appreciate the scenery at its best!
