Nestled discreetly in the larch trees and fixed to a solid rock, this chapel dates back to 1903, when the people of Bagnes discovered tourism and built the first hotels in Fionnay.
The chapel immediately became an important place of invocation and rejuvenation in this rugged setting in the upper Bagnes valley; even more so during the construction of the Mauvoisin dam, when Fionnay was the logistical centre for the building works. The chapel was enlarged in 1953.
In 1975 a restoration was required: Forces Motrices de Mauvoisin offered to sponsor the works and thus they began: the altar and tabernacle were replaced with new ones made of Swiss pine (the former being a block of serpentine stone from the Dranse and a slab from Vollèges respectively); a painting by Canon Marcel Michellod depicting the Assumption of Mary (feast day and popular festival celebrated on 15 August) and two other paintings signed by Chavaz and dated 1948 were added. The oil paintings on the wood panels depict Our Lady of the Snows and St Hubert, the patron saint of hunters. The stained-glass windows, painted by Mr Morend, were fabricated by glass-maker R. Schmitt. The coat of arms is that of the Michellod family.
In 1975 a restoration was required: Forces Motrices de Mauvoisin offered to sponsor the works and thus they began: the altar and tabernacle were replaced with new ones made of Swiss pine (the former being a block of serpentine stone from the Dranse and a slab from Vollèges respectively); a painting by Canon Marcel Michellod depicting the Assumption of Mary (feast day and popular festival celebrated on 15 August) and two other paintings signed by Chavaz and dated 1948 were added. The oil paintings on the wood panels depict Our Lady of the Snows and St Hubert, the patron saint of hunters. The stained-glass windows, painted by Mr Morend, were fabricated by glass-maker R. Schmitt. The coat of arms is that of the Michellod family.
