The name Valère is first mentioned in 1049, and the first parts were built from 1100 to 1130 in Romanesque style. After 1130 a semicircular apse, walls, windows and a roof followed. The nave was expanded and flanked by aisles between 1235 and 1267, in Gothic style. The article gives no architect or client. It stood as the residence of the cathedral chapter of Sion.
The church sits at the top of a hill 2,018 feet (615 m) above sea level, surrounded by a fortified village and its walls. Access is possible only from the north-east. Its organ is believed to date from around 1430 to 1435, with murals around 1435.
The choir stalls date from the mid-17th century. It became a minor basilica on October 7, 1987, and is Swiss cultural property of national significance.
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