The chapel's origins lie in the long, uneven history of Sámi inclusion in Swedish church life. From the early eighteenth century, missionary efforts and official bodies such as the Royal Directorate over the Ecclesiastical Office in the Lapland regions, established in 1739, sought to organise religious instruction and worship for Sámi communities in Jämtland and Härjedalen. Travelling catechists and priest-teachers held services and lessons, and a separate Sámi parish structure gradually developed across the region.
From 1851 a chaplain based in Hotagen held responsibility for the spiritual care of Sámi people in both Hotagen and Offerdal, conducting seasonal services known locally as lappmässor, held around Midsummer (Jensmäss) and Michaelmas. Permanent settlement at Jänsmässholmen grew from the 1860s, and by the 1880s regular services were being held there. An earlier attempt to build a place of worship began in 1890 but was never completed, and services continued to be held outside the unfinished building for some time.
Villagers petitioned the county authorities in 1906 for a proper chapel, though fundraising took many years. It was not until 1929 that the Sámi parish and sameby (Sámi community) formally decided to proceed, and the present chapel was inaugurated on 5 July 1931. The separate Sámi parishes of Jämtland were dissolved at the end of 1941, after which local Sámi congregants were transferred into the Offerdal parish structure.
A freestanding bell tower, just over seven metres tall and taller than the chapel itself, was added in 1960 and inaugurated that October by the then vicar of Offerdal parish. Inside, the altarpiece is a wood-carved figure of Christ made by Lina Eriksson, a distinctive and notably personal piece of religious art for such a modest building.