| Introduction The devotion to the Holy Child Jesus has long
been a tradition of the Catholic Church for a very long time. This
devotion is a veneration of our Lord's sacred Infancy. Many saints had a
very strong devotion to the Divine Child, notably St. Therese of the Child
Jesus, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, and St. Teresa of
Avila.
Prague is the capitol city of the Czech Republic, which is at the very
central of Europe with Germany, Poland, Russia and Austria as its
neighbours. The history of the Infant Jesus of Prague started in the 17th
century when a statue of the Infant Jesus was brought into Bohemia (now
Czech Republic) and eventually was given to the Discalced Carmelites in
Prague. Since then, the statue has remained in Prague and has drawn many
devotees worldwide to go and honor the Holy Child. Many graces, blessings,
favors and miraculous healings have been received by many who petitioned
before the Infant Jesus.
History
The exact origin of the Infant Jesus statue was not truly known, but
historical sources point to a small 28cm 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.
The popularity of the Child Jesus grew in the Baroque period in Spain
which may have been caused by the visions of St. Teresa of Avila. A number
of sculptures made in Spain eventually found their way to Prague. These
sculptures were made of wax, ivory, and bronze and were dressed in
garments reflecting the aristocratic fashion of that period.
It is unknown to this date which of those early sculptures that got to
Prague was the exact origin of the Infant Jesus of Prague. It was
speculated that it came from a monastery in Bohemia and from there it was
obtained by Dona Isabella Manrique who gave it as a wedding gift to her
daughter Marie Manrique who married a noble of the Czech kingdom. Later,
the Holy Infant statue was again given to Marie's daughter Polyxena as a
wedding gift in 1587. In 1628, Lady Polyxena presented the statue to the
Carmelites at the Church of the Virgin Mary the Victorious in Mala Strana
saying, "I am giving you what I most esteem of my possessions. Keep the
sculpture in reference and you will be well off".1 This statue
then became known as the Infant Jesus of Prague. It stands 47 cm high
(includes a 2cm base) and has a long gown around the wax body.
Shortly after 1628, the Saxons and the Swedes took turns to invade
Prague and the Carmelites had to flee and the veneration of the Holy
Infant ceased. It was not until 1638 that a young priest named Fr. P.
Cyril, a Matre Dei, returned to Prague and found the Holy Infant statue
buried in the ruins of the Lady of Victory church. Fr. Cyril cleaned the
statue and placed it in the oratory for worship. While he was praying
before the Infant Jesus, he heard the Infant Jesus 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". 2
The repairing of the statue's hand was a miracle since Fr. Cyril and
his peers did not have the financial resources nor the know — how to
repair it. Through prayer, Fr. Cyril asked the Blessed Virgin Mary in
several occassions to to provide the necessary funds for fixing the Infant
statue. The Divine Infant spoke to him again, "Place Me near the entrance
of the sacristy and you will receive aid".3 Fr. Cyril then did
what he was told and in a few days time, the statue was fixed by a man who
came to the sacristy to offer help.
Since the statue was fixed, a number of miracles had occurred and the
word began to spread, resulting in a large increase of veneration to the
Holy Child. This includes the Czech nobles as well. These early miracles
were recorded in a book by P. Emerich a St Stephano, published in German
in 1736 and in Czech in 1749.4
In 1641, an altar was built for the Infant Jesus in the church, and in
1644 a chapel was built, but was not completed until 1654. Many nobles of
the time had greatly supported the Infant Jesus, among them were Lady
Polyxena, King Ferdinard (Czech), King Charles Gustav(Sweden), and Bernard
Ignatius of the Lords of Martinic. It is interesting to note that the
crown over the Divine Infant's head came from Bernard Ignatius, who
presented the Infant statue with a little gold crown set with precious
stones and jewels on January 14, 1651 during a procession that carried the
Infant Jesus statue from the Lady of Victory church to other Prague
churches. The Infant Jesus was solemnly coronated on April 4, 1655 by the
Archbishop Josef Corta acting for Cardinal Harrach III who was sick.
After that period, Prague went through more wars and unrest but the
church and the Infant Jesus chapel was miraculously protected. In 1776 the
altar was rebuilt using marble and two huge sculptures of the Blessed
Virgin Mary and St. Joseph were placed to the left and right sides of the
altar. The Holy Infant was kept in a glass case standing on a pedestal
engraved with crystals, and surrounding the Infant were twenty angels in
gold.
Since then copies of the Infant Jesus were made and distributed
throughout European churches. The Spanish colonial efforts later brought
the Infant Jesus to the Philippines and to central America. And since
then, the devotion has kept spreading to all parts of the world.
Conclusion
The Lady of Victory church was officially returned back to the
Discalced Carmalites in 1993 since the takeover by the Maltese Knights in
1784. Today, thousands of pilgrims pay homage to the Infant of Prague each
year. The tradition of the Infant Jesus procession and the coronation
continues to this day. On May 27,1995, a solemn procession of the Infant
Jesus took place in the streets of Prague with Cardinal Sin of Manila
(Philippines) and Cardinal Vlk of Prague leading the procession. This
ceremony was the closing highlight of the annual Feast of the Infant Jesus
in Prague.
As the devotion to the Infant Jesus spreads throughout the world, many
parishes now offer Holy Mass and novenas to honor the Holy Child of God
and many prayer groups have been formed. Jesus has kept His promise that
the more that He is honored, the more that He will bless them. This is
truly evidenced by the many favors He has granted to those who ask Him.
Bibliography
Footnotes:
1. Forbelsky, Royt, Horyna : Holy Infant of
Prague, Arentinum, Prague, 1992
2. Devotion to the Infant Jesus of Prague, Tan Books, Rockford, 1975
3. ibid. #2
4. ibid. #1
Sources:
1. Daughters of St. Paul : Infant of Prague
Devotions, St. Paul Books & Media, Boston, 1992
2. Joan Cruz : Prayers and Heavenly Promises, Tan Books, Rockford, 1990
3. Lady of Victory Parish, Prague, Czech Republic
4. Sanctuary of the Infant Jesus, Arezano, Italy
|