History of the
Infant Jesus of Prague
The History of the Infant of Prague Statue and devotion spans the European continent.
It is a delicate nineteen inch wax statue made by master craftsmen in Spain.
In 1556 Maria Manriquez de Lara took the statue with her to Bohemia, a part of Czechoslovakia.
She gave it to her daughter Princess Polyxena as a wedding present. When the Princess
became widowed, she gave the statue to the Discalced Carmelites in Prague in 1628.
The devotion to the statue had begun to grow, with Carmelite Father Cyril of the Mother of God
becoming its most zealous apostle.
In 1631 King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden invaded Prague. In haste to leave the city
the monks left the statue behind. Peace was restored to Prague in 1635 and in 1637 the monks
retruned to the city. The statue was no where to be found. It has been thrown in a rubbish pile
during the invasion. When the statue was eventually found, it was in very bad shape. Among
other things, the fingers had been broken off. The Monks on there arrival back in Prague
after the invasion were very poor and barely had the funds to even buy their daily bread.
This did not deter the zealous Father Cyril from seeking through much prayer a solution
of repairing the much loved statue. A voice within his soul said to him "e;Place me at the
entrance of the sacristy and you will receive aid!"e; A stranger came forward and fixed the hands
and restored the statue.
There are many, many stories of miraculous healings, interventions and favors granted when a
request for intercession is made to the Infant. In 1639, The Baroness Elizabeth Kolowrat was
cured through the intercession of the Infant. She had a crown of gold made for her
"e;Heavenly Physician"e; .
The left hand holds a miniature globe with a cross signifying the world wide kingship of
the Christ. The right hand is raised in blessing.
The garments of the Infant have changed over the centuries. In 1713 they started changing the
garments to reflect the seasons of the liturgical calendar.
