The foundation stone for the Basilica of the Fourteen Holy Helpers was laid in 1743.
The basilica, called Basilika Vierzehnheiligen in German, stands near Bad Staffelstein in Bavaria. It is a late-Baroque and Rococo pilgrimage church dedicated to the Fourteen Holy Helpers, a group of saints traditionally invoked together for protection from illness and other dangers.
The site had been a pilgrimage destination since a reported vision in the 15th century. Langheim Abbey sought to replace the earlier shrine with a grand new church. Architect Balthasar Neumann prepared the principal design, although Gottfried Heinrich Krohne initially supervised construction and altered aspects of the plan to reduce costs.
The foundation ceremony took place on 23 April 1743 under Langheim’s Abbot Stephan Mösinger and the Bamberg prince-bishop Friedrich Karl von Schönborn. Neumann later revised the project to resolve problems caused by the early alterations. Construction continued for decades, with major interior decoration by artists including Johann Michael Feichtmayr and Giuseppe Appiani. The completed church was consecrated in 1772, making 1743 the starting point—not the completion date.