Baby Jesus of Prague

The Divine Child Jesus of Prague (in Czech: Pražské Jezulátko) is a wax image of Jesus in his childhood stage, which is found in the Church of Saint Mary of Victory and Saint Anthony of Padua (Kostel Panny Marie Vítězné a svatého Antonína Paduánského), on Carmelite Street in the Malá Strana neighborhood, in the city of Prague (capital of Czech Republic). Pious legends hold that the image of the Miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague once belonged to Saint Teresa of Jesus and is considered a miraculous image, especially among pregnant women. The image was donated to the Discalced Carmelite friars in 1628 by the noblewoman Polixena de Lobkowitz.

The statue is one of the invocations of the childhood of Jesus Christ, among which are also the Santo Niño de Atocha in Spain and Latin America, the Santo Niño de Cebú in the Philippines, the Santo Bambino de Aracoeli in Rome, the Niñopan in Mexico, the Divine Child Huerfanito of Pamplona (Colombia), the Holy Child Jesus of the Afflicted in San Cristóbal de La Laguna (Tenerife, Spain), the Divine Child of Colombia, the Child Jesus of Escuque, in Escuque (Trujillo State) in Venezuela, and the Niño Dios de Sotaquí in Chile, among others.

History

It is believed that the image was carved in Spain in the XVI century, and that it was passed from fathers to sons of the family of the counts of Treviño and dukes of Nájera (Manrique de Lara).

Ferdinand II, Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, to express his gratitude to God for the victory achieved in the Battle of the White Mountain, founded in 1620, in the city of Prague, a convent of Discalced Carmelite Fathers. The image was given in 1628 to the Discalced Carmelites who ran the convent (currently the Church of the Virgin of Victory), by the noble Polyxena of Pernestan, married to the chancellor of the kingdom of Bohemia, Sidonius Adalbert of Lobkowitz. She In turn, he had received the image as a wedding gift from his mother, María Maximiliana Manrique de Lara y Briceño, family of the Marquises of Nevares and the Counts of Mollina, lady of the court of the Empress María of Austria. The image, made of wax, has been the object of great devotion until the present moment, when it continues to receive requests from the faithful, having a widespread reputation for being miraculous. During the XVII century, it suffered various vicissitudes, during the sacking of Prague by Saxon troops and during the Swedish invasion, during which he lost his arms, which had to be replaced by others. Devotion to this figure was spread in Spain and throughout the world by the order of the Discalced Carmelites.

The image of the Miraculous Child Jesus of Prague has also received several papal distinctions, among them; Pope Leo XIII established the Congregation of the Infant of Jesus of Prague in 1896, Pope Saint Pius the image during his apostolic visit to the Czech Republic in September 2009.

The Feast of the Infant Jesus of Prague is currently celebrated on the first Sunday of the month of June, and his image is venerated in a rich golden altarpiece in the Church of Our Lady of Victory and Saint Anthony of Padua, not far away of the Prague Cathedral. In the church there is also the Museum of the Infant Jesus of Prague, where all his jewelry is exhibited and, above all, his cloaks with costumes of other liturgical colors, which are changed from time to time to the image. In Spanish-speaking countries with the presence of the Order of the Barefoot Carmel, its celebration is on January 25.

Replicas

There are two original images in the Church of San Pedro in the town of Treviño (Burgos, Spain). In the altarpiece of the right altar of the transept, and in the side streets, lower part, there are two niches that contain those two images of great antiquity, standing and full-length, of a child with the orb in one hand and dressed in embroidered fabric. On one side of the church square is the building, with its coat of arms, which belonged to the Counts of Treviño.

In the Church of San Francisco de Asís in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain), there is also an image of the Holy Child of Prague. Furthermore, descendants of the Manrique de Lara Family arrived in Tenerife, maintained the devotion and even donated a white cloak woven on the island to the original image of the Santo Niño. In the same city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in the Parish of Santo Domingo de Guzmán (belonging to the Carmelite Order) the Brotherhood of the Child Jesus of Prague is established.

In the city of Lima, in the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (belonging to the Carmelite Order), a Brotherhood of the Child Jesus of Prague is established.

In the city of Santiago de Chile, in the Church of the Child Jesus of Prague (belonging to the Order of the Discalced Carmelites) there is a replica of the image that is venerated in a special way every Tuesday and the fourth Sunday of each month.

In the city of Medellín, Colombia, in the parish of the Archdiocese of Medellín, he founded the Infant Jesus of Prague Shrine where hundreds of faithful make pilgrimages on the 25th of each month and his feast day is celebrated on August 25.

In the Villa de Espita, Yucatán, Mexico, there is an image of the Child God of Prague in the parish of San José, the people of Espita have great devotion to this image and hold a great party in his honor on the 19th. to December 28, with the 25th being the most important day.

In the magical town of Jiquilpan Michoacán, an image of the Infant Jesus of Prague was found inside a wall during the remodeling of the former Franciscan convent. The image is located in the cloister of the parish of San Francisco de Asís for worship.

In Ireland it is very popular, with several replicas and miniatures for home use. It is associated with good weather, which is why they are usually placed in the garden to keep away the rain, usually in case of an upcoming wedding or some special event that is outdoors.