Stefan Wirtz

One of the most significant Baroque pilgrimage churches in Germany is the Basilica Vierzehnheiligen in Bad Staffelstein, Upper Franconia. Construction of the church began in 1743 but was only completed in 1772. The planning history is confusing and complicated before construction could finally start. The pilgrimage's origin dates back to the Middle Ages, when in 1445 the monastery shepherd (from Langheim Monastery) saw a crying child in the field, who disappeared as he approached. This child appeared to the shepherd three times, and on July 2, 1446, he and a woman witnessed two burning candles descending from the sky at that spot. Shortly after, a miraculous healing occurred at the exact same place. The miracle was recognized by the nearby Langheim Monastery (which no longer exists). The pilgrimage quickly gained momentum, and a first church was built. A pilgrimage means income, and as often happens, a dispute arose over these earnings. The Langheim Monastery and Staffelstein, which was the responsible parish, argued. An arbitration court decided that the church and offerings should remain with Langheim, but one-third of the income had to be paid to the Bishop of Bamberg. In return, the bishop had to share the construction costs proportionally, provided he approved the plans; without the bishop's consent, no building could proceed. In 1693, the Bishop of Bamberg demanded his rightful third of the pilgrimage income from Langheim Monastery. The abbot countered by reminding the bishop that the diocese had long neglected its share of the construction duties and presented an expert report on the necessity of a new building. The dispute fizzled out; the diocese was not expected to pay. The planning confusion began. The main figures were Abbot Stephan Mösinger of Langheim and Bishop Friedrich Carl von Schönborn. They first negotiated who would pay what. The bishop succeeded in having Langheim bear all costs, but pilgrimage fees were reduced accordingly. However, the bishop still had to approve the building plans. Since the abbey had to bear the costs, the abbot wanted to keep them as low as possible. He commissioned the Weimar court architect Gottfried Heinrich Krohne with the redesign. Krohne, a Protestant, had little understanding for a rural pilgrimage and this was reflected in his plans. The bishop rejected Krohne’s plans. The plans for the pilgrimage church were set aside. The abbot then focused on the redesign and construction of the monastery church, engaging Balthasar Neumann. Neumann’s plans for the new monastery church overshadowed all other Baroque church designs. The pilgrimage church project was abandoned, and the abbot had to return to Vierzehnheiligen. Meanwhile, the bishop commissioned his court architect Jakob Michael Küchel to plan the pilgrimage church, but the bishop rejected these plans as too expensive. At the same time, the abbot had plans made by Balthasar Neumann, which were approved, but secretly the abbot wanted to omit the masonry vaults for cost reasons. The abbot’s builder Krohne was to start construction based on Neumann’s plans but as a cost-saving version. On April 23, 1743, the foundation stone was laid; by December, the walls in the choir and transept area were three meters high. Growing suspicious, the bishop sent Balthasar Neumann and Küchel to inspect Vierzehnheiligen. Neumann was shocked; Krohne deviated significantly from Neumann’s plans, likely on the abbot’s instructions. Krohne was blamed solely by the bishop, and the abbot dismissed the builder. Bamberg took control, clearing the way for Neumann. Neumann now demonstrated why he was one of the leading Baroque architects, reaching his peak. In 1744, he presented his plans for the new building, incorporating the already constructed walls. He completely redesigned the project; the greatest challenge was the vault. Neumann died in 1753 and did not live to see completion. His master mason Thomas Nissler continued the work according to Neumann’s vision. The church was consecrated in 1772. What would Vierzehnheiligen be without its fantastic stucco decoration and frescoes? Unfortunately, since a fire caused by a lightning strike in 1835, water damage due to a delayed emergency roof, and overpainting in the late 19th century, the frescoes have suffered greatly and appear very faded today. The magnificent stucco and the freestanding altar of grace were created by Johann Michael Feichtmayr and his workshop together with Johann Georg Üblhör, all masters of their craft. Feichtmayr also designed the high altar and the pulpit. Giuseppe Appiani, court painter of Kurmainz...