This chalice, made of richly chased silver, measures 24 centimeters in height; its base is 17 centimeters in diameter. The bowl, set within the counter-bowl, is made of gilt silver. The counter-bowl, with its serrated rim, features four oval recesses depicting the four Evangelists with their respective attributes (the tetramorph): Saint John sits on a mountainside, holding a book in one hand, while with the other he points to the text. An eagle rests at his feet. Saint Luke sits holding a book. He faces an ox, of which only the head is visible. Saint Mark sits holding a scroll spread across his lap. A lion, seen from the front, is at his feet. Saint Matthew is shown in profile. He points to an angel facing him. The four Evangelists are the principal witnesses to the life of Christ.

Their Gospels recount the acts and words of Jesus, his life, his suffering on the Cross, his death, and his Resurrection. At the beginning of the religiously turbulent 17th century, Saint Francis de Sales also considered himself a witness to Christ and the Catholic faith. This witness is, of course, manifested during the Eucharist. Thus, it seems logical that the four Evangelists should be part of the iconography that the Prince-Bishop of Geneva wished to see on his chalice. The pommel of the foot is swollen to accommodate, in four oval compartments, the four Fathers of the Catholic Church: Saint Ambrose (340-397) is depicted in his episcopal vestments. He is seated in an armchair and reading a book indicated by a child. Above him is a heart pierced by two arrows, symbolizing divine love.

Saint Augustine (354-430), also wearing his episcopal vestments, is depicted writing on his knees. Beside him is a table covered with a cloth, upon which rests an inkwell. This setting symbolizes his theological authority. Saint Gregory the Great (540-604) is seated before a lectern supporting a large volume. He rests one hand on the book, while with the other he holds the papal cross (a triple cross). His bearded head is surmounted by the papal tiara with three crowns. Saint Jerome (347-420), seated in an armchair, leaning over a lectern, is translating the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate). Jerome's gaze is fixed on the crucifix placed before him. A lion, symbol of power, guarantor of the wisdom and justice of spiritual authority, depicted facing forward, lies at Saint Jerome's feet. The doctrine of Saint Francis de Sales frequently refers to that of Saint Augustine. On numerous occasions, in his various works, speeches and sermons, Francis de Sales quotes this Father of the Church whose influence on the theology of the Catholic Church is known to be paramount.

Thus, the four Fathers of the Church were generally depicted together, which explains their presence on the pommel of this chalice. The base of the chalice is formed of six decorated lobes. Three of them feature a cherub's head, each of these three heads being different from the other two. The cherubs symbolize the omnipresence and omniscience of God in the higher order of celestial beings. These three lobes frame scenes from the Passion of Christ, which are carved on the other three lobes. One lobe depicts Christ crucified on the Cross. On either side are represented the city of Jerusalem and Golgotha, the site of Christ's execution. Another lobe shows the instruments of Christ's torture: the column to which he was bound; the whip; the rooster that crowed after Saint Peter's denial; the hand that slapped Jesus; the wooden bundle of sticks used to warm Saint Peter and the guards; the lantern carried by the soldier who arrested Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane; the spinning top with which the soldiers amused themselves in the Roman governor's praetorium; the tray and the jug with which Pontius Pilate washed his hands.

The last lobe displays the instruments of the crucifixion: the sponge soaked in vinegar presented to the crucified Christ; the lance held by the soldier tasked with piercing his heart; the ladder used to take him down from the Cross; the chalice of suffering to be drunk to the dregs; the nails of the crucifixion; the hammer crossed with the sword; drops of blood; the pincers and hammer used to pull out the nails; the severed ear of the high priest's servant; and the tomb on the rim of which the shroud rests. During Mass, the moment of the Eucharist allows Christians to relive the Last Supper (the final meal that Jesus shared with his apostles), which is one of the episodes of Christ's Passion preceding the Crucifixion—that is, the moment when he gave his life out of love for humanity. During this celebration of the Eucharist, the wine contained in the chalice becomes, by transubstantiation, the blood of Christ: "By the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place the change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood; this change, the Catholic Church has rightly and exactly called transubstantiation" (Council of Trent, quoted in the encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, 2003, chap. 1 §15).

The priest, as a witness and messenger of Christ, invites Christians to commemorate his Passion during the celebration of the Eucharist. Thus, the depiction of Christ's Passion on three of the six lobes of the chalice's foot seemed logical to Saint Francis de Sales. Two hallmarks are affixed beneath the chalice. One is a hallmark bearing the arms of the town of Salins (a gold p with a red bend). The other is the hallmark of the master goldsmith Jean Perret, known as Parent, which features a cartouche containing the initials "J" and "P" surmounted by the letter "S".

In Franche-Comté, particularly in Salins, a powerful guild of goldsmiths existed from the 15th century, among which the Perret family distinguished itself from the 16th to the 17th centuries. Jean Perret worked between 1559 and 1631; he engraved medals, executed goldsmithing work for the city of Dôle and its Sainte-Chapelle, supplying sacred vessels, chalices, statues, and reliquaries in chased silver. This chalice survived the turmoil that marked the history of Savoy, thanks to the constant devotion of the de Sales family.

In the post-revolutionary period, Count Eugène de Roussy de Sales (1822-1915) protected it with a thick leather case, allowing for easy transport. During the Second World War, it was entrusted to the parish priest of Thorens, Marius Pagnod, who hid it in the radiator of his parish church. In 1952, when Count Jean-François de Roussy de Sales (1928-1999) returned to the Château de Thorens, he had the chalice of Saint Francis de Sales restored, as the base of the sacred vessel was crushed. This restoration work was entrusted to the master goldsmith Monsieur Toulouse of Paris.