The cathedral is dedicated to Saint François de Sales, and is the seat of the Archbishopric of Chambéry, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, and Tarentaise.

In 1825 Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and Tarentaise were re-created as independent dioceses; in 1966 they were once again added to the Archdiocese of Chambéry, which in 2002 adopted its present name of Archdiocese of Chambéry, Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, and Tarentaise.

During the French Revolution it was extensively defaced, and the interior was entirely restored in the early 19th century.

It contains the largest ensemble of trompe-l'œil painting in Europe (almost 6,000 m2) by the artists Sevesi and Vicario, as well as a maze almost 35 metres long laid down in 1860–1870 and relaid in 1989.

The neighbouring local history museum, formerly the Franciscan convent, linked to the cathedral by the cloisters, houses a 12th-century ivory diptych of Byzantine inspiration.