Infant of Prague
It is believed, the statue of the Child Jesus was obtained from a monastery in Spain by Dona Isabella Manriquez (de Lara). Isabella gave the statue as a wedding present to her daughter, Maria Manriquez, upon her marriage to the Czech nobleman, Vratislav of Pernstyn. The statue itself is carved from wood and coated in a thin layer of wax.
Maria gave the statue to her daughter, Princess Polyxana Lobkowitz, when she married. Polyxana had great devotion to the Child and kept the statue in a place of honor in her home. When Polyxana’s husband died, she donated the statue to the Discalced Carmelites at the Church of the Virgin Mary the Victorious in Mala Strana. The Princess presented this treasure of hers to the Carmelites with the recommendations that as long as they honored the Child Jesus, they would never want for anything. This statue became known as the Infant of Prague statue we lovingly venerate today. The statue was displayed in the oratory and devotions to the Child Jesus were offered twice daily.
In the year 1628, with the invasion of Prague by the Saxons and the Swedes, the Carmelites fled the monastery and devotion to the Child Jesus ceased. Upon his return to Prague in 1637, Father Cyril discovered the statue buried in the ruins of the Church of the Virgin Mary the Victorious. Father Cyril cleaned the statue and placed it in an honorable place in the oratory. One day, while praying in front of the statue of the Child Jesus, he heard the Child Jesus speak: "Have pity on Me and I will have pity on you. Give Me My hands and I will give you peace. The more you honor Me, the more I will bless you." Startled by this revelation, Father Cyril noticed for the first time that the statue’s hands had been damaged. Father Cyril approached the prior to request permission to have the statue repaired but the monastery was too poor to be able to afford such an endeavor.
Within a short time, a wealthy man visited Prague and fell very ill. Father Cyril was called to the dying man’s side. The dying man recovered his health miraculously, through the merits of the Holy Child Jesus. The man offered Father Cyril financial assistance to repair the statue’s hands. The prior used the donated money to buy a new statue, instead of repairing the old one. On the first day of its public veneration, a candlestick fell on the new statue and shattered it. Father Cyril felt interiorly that this was an indication that the Child Jesus wanted the old statue fixed.
Father Cyril then prayed to the Blessed Virgin for the funds needed to repair the statue. He heard an interior voice telling him to place the statue at the entrance of the sacristy. Shortly thereafter, a man offered to repair the statue, free of charge.
Finally, the repaired statue was placed in the church. At that time, there was a pestilence that killed many people in Prague. The prior himself fell ill to the disease and nearly died. He promised to spread devotion to the Infant of Prague, if he regained his health, which he did. A general devotion, in which all of the friars participated, took place.
Throughout the years, many miracles have been attributed to the Infant of Prague. The statue itself was moved to a magnificent shrine within the church. The popularity of the Child Jesus spread to other countries in the eighteenth century. It is one of the most powerful and famous devotions to the Child Jesus in the world.
In Arenzano, Italy, the devotion is so popular, a new statue was created specifically for this region. The beautiful church in Arenzano is also run by the same Order of Discalced Carmelites.
For more information on the Infant of Prague, or to obtain a statue, rosaries, videos, medals, or any other devotional, please contact:
Bosi Karmelitani
Klaster Prazskeho Jezulatka
Karmelitska 9
11800 PRAHA 1, CZ (Czechoslovakia)
Tel: +420 257 5336 46
E-mail: mail@pragjesus.info
Website: www.pragjesu.info
