Chapelle Saint-Jacques d'Orelle, Religious chapel in Orelle, France

Chapelle Saint-Jacques d'Orelle is a Baroque chapel in the hamlet of Francoz, Orelle, measuring 5 m high, 5 m wide and 10 m long. Its wooden double door is topped by a pointed-arch window whose grey, green and blue panes form a scallop shell, echoed by two grilled rectangular windows and a bell opening at the roof peak.

The chapel began as the oratory of Francoz, blessed in 1670 by Reverend Urbain Albert, rector of the parish of Saint-Maurice d'Orelle. In 1730 it was enlarged into a chapel, with a roof of European larch beams covered in lauzes stone. In spring 1940 a rockfall from the cliff above La Fusine broke the main vault beam and crushed the altarpiece; the chapel was then enlarged on the south side and its roof rebuilt in reinforced concrete.

The street and chapel are named for Saint James the Greater and for Jacques de Tarentaise, the legendary first bishop of Savoy. A painting of Saint James hangs at the back, and a statue of the Devil, originally from the Saint-Bernard chapel at La Bronsonnière, stands on the altar. A mass is held each summer, and the feast of Saint James falls on 25 July.

The chapel can be visited from the outside and is easily accessible in summer months. Taking time to walk around helps visitors understand how the building sits within the mountain setting.

During World War II, the chapel was repaired using materials from local factories and funded by donations from residents. This shows how the community supported preserving the building even during difficult times.