Infant Jesus of Prague

Infant Jesus of Prague Pražské Jezulátko
Location	Prague, Czech Republic
Date	1555
Witness	Saint Teresa of Avila María Manrique de Lara y Mendoza
Type	Wax statue
Holy See approval	Pope Benedict XVI September 2009
Shrine	Our Lady of Victory Church

Infant Jesus of Prague (Czech: Pražské Jezulátko) is a 16th century Roman Catholic wax statue of child Jesus located in the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Malá Strana, Prague Czech Republic. Pious legends claim that the statue once belonged to Saint Teresa of Avila and allegedly holds miraculous powers, especially among expectant mothers.

The statue is known worldwide in relation to earlier child-Jesus icons, most prominently the Santo Nino de Atocha in Latin America (13th century) and the Santo Nino de Cebu (1521) in the Philippines.

In addition, the statue has also merited several Papal sanctions including Pope Benedict XVI who donated a golden crown to the statue during his Apostolic visit to the Czech Republic in September 2009.

History

The elaborate altar which adores the infant statue.

Its earliest history can be traced back to Prague in the year 1628 when the small, 19-inch (48 cm) high, wax statue of the Infant Jesus was given by Princess Polyxena von Lobkowicz (1566–1642) to the Discalced Carmelites, to whom she had become greatly attached. The princess had received the statue as a wedding gift (1603) from her mother, María Manrique de Lara y Mendoza, a Spanish noblewoman, to whom it had been a wedding gift in Spain (1555) and who had brought it to Bohemia. An old legend in the Lobkowicz family insists that Doña María had been given the statue by St Teresa of Avila herself.

Upon presenting it, the pious princess Polyxena is said to have uttered a prophetic statement to the religious: "Venerable Fathers, I bring you my dearest possession. Honour this image and you shall never want". The statue was placed in the oratory of the monastery of Our Lady of Victory, Prague, where special devotions to Jesus were offered before it twice a day. Carmelite novices voluntarily vow themselves to poverty, and here they professed their poverty in the presence of the Divine Infant.

Upon hearing of the Carmelites' devotions and needs, the Emperor Ferdinand II of the House of Habsburg sent along 2,000 Florins and a monthly stipend for their support.

In 1630, the Carmelite novitiate was transferred to Munich. With the transfer of novices, Prague lost its most ardent devotees of the Infant. Disturbances in Bohemia due to the Thirty Years War brought an end to the special devotions, and on November 15, 1631, the army of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden took possession of the churches of Bohemia's capital city. The Carmelite friary was plundered by the Lutheran Swedes, and the image of the Infant of Prague was thrown into a pile of rubbish behind the altar. Here it lay forgotten, its hands broken off, for seven years, until it was found again in 1637 by Father Cyrillus and placed in the church's oratory. One day, while praying before the statue, Father Cyrillus claimed to have heard a voice say, "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." Since then, the statue has remained in Prague and has drawn many devotees worldwide to go and honor the Holy Child. Claims of blessings, favors and miraculous healings have been made by many who petitioned before the Infant Jesus. Statuettes of the Infant Jesus are placed inside many Catholic churches, sometimes with the quotation, "The more you honor me, the more I will bless you."

A copy of this statuette is placed in the University Chapel in Naples, Italy with the information on the original Prague's statuette.

The exact origin of the Infant Jesus statue is not known, but historical sources point to a small 19 inch (48 cm) high sculpture of the Holy Child with a bird in his right hand carved in around the year 1340. Many other Infant Jesus sculptures were also carved by famous masters throughout Europe in the Middle Ages.

Papal Approval

In September 2009, Pope Benedict XVI made an Apostolic visit to the Czech Republic and visited the Church of Our Lady of Victory in Prague. The Pontiff donated a golden crown with eight shells with numerous pearls and garnets and is now presently donned by the statue.

Devotion

Today, thousands of pilgrims pay homage to the Infant of Prague every year. The tradition of the Infant Jesus procession and the coronation continues to this day. This ceremony is the closing highlight of the annual Feast of the Infant Jesus in Prague.

In the past in Ireland some brides would place an Infant of Prague statue outside their house the night before their wedding. This was meant to ensure that there would be good weather for the wedding day.[1]

Once every four years, two wooden statues of Infant Jesus made in Prague are sent to various Catholic churches of the world. In India, the Infant Jesus Shrine in Bangalore and the Saint Theresa Church Perambur (Chennai) obtain one each of these statues.

Film

In the 1984 miniseries Teresa de Jesús (film), Saint Teresa of Avila is portrayed holding the statue during a rainstorm which ravaged their convent in Spain. In other scenes, religious sisters are also seen changing the vestments of the statue. Saint Teresa of Avila is also portrayed asking many noble women to pray to this image with pious devotion.

Bibliography

• Emericus a S. Stephano O.Carm.Disc.: Pragerisches Gross und Klein. Das ist: Geschichtes-Verfassung dess in seinen seltsamen Gnaden, scheinbaren Wunder Zeichen, Wunder-würdigen Begebenheiten Grossen ... (Prague 1737). Accessible through Dpt. of manuscripts and old printed books, National library of the Czech Republic. Sig. 51-G-39. (This is the original edition of the legend.)
• Emericus a S. Stephano O.Carm.Disc.: Pražské Weliké a Malé. To gest Wejtah Příběhův ... (Prague 1749). This is the first Czech translation of the upper one.
• The Infant of Prague, by the Reverend Ludvik Nemec, Benziger Brothers, Inc, 1958.
• Miraculous Images of Our Lord, by Joan Carroll Cruz, OCDS, TAN Books and Publishers, Inc, 1995. ISBN 0-89555-496-8
• Holy Infant Jesus, by Ann Ball & Damian Hinojosa, The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2006. ISBN 0-8245-2407-1
• The INFANT JESUS OF PRAGUE and Its Veneration, by Rev. H Koneberg, O.S.B. Translated from the Seventh Revised Edition of Rev. Joseph Mayer, C.SS.R Catholic Book Publishing Co. New York, N.Y. Nihil Obstat: John M. Fearns, S.T.D. Censor Librorum Imprimatur: Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archiepiscopus Neo Eboracensis Sept 16,1946

See also

• Infant Jesus
• Santo Niño de Cebu
• Santo Niño de Atocha
• Holy Infant of Good Health
• House of Lobkowicz
• Niño Jesús de Mula or Niño Jesús de Balate

External links

• Official website of the Infant Jesus of Prague
• Infant Jesus of Prague on Prague-wiki