Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers

The origins of the pilgrimage date back to the mid-15th century. Tradition recounts apparitions of the Christ Child surrounded by the Fourteen Holy Helpers in 1445 and 1446, who requested the construction of a chapel at this site. Following the miraculous healing of a sick maid, a lively pilgrimage began. The Cistercian Abbey of Langheim erected a chapel, which was destroyed during the Peasants' War in 1525 and later replaced by a larger church. This, too, was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War. The current late Baroque structure was built between 1743 and 1772. Funding was provided by the abbots Stephan Mösinger and Malachias Limmer of Langheim Monastery. Planning commenced in 1735, but it was not until 1742 that Balthasar Neumann was commissioned to create the design. During the groundbreaking in 1743, deviations from the plans by construction manager Gottfried Heinrich Krohne affected the altar's location. Neumann had to adjust the design to meet liturgical requirements.

The basilica is situated in Upper Franconia, in the district of Lichtenfels, between Bad Staffelstein and the district town of Lichtenfels. It is located in the Upper Main Valley, a region known as the