Many of Prague’s tourists end up seeing the statue of the Infant Jesus in the Church of Our Lady Victorious. There are more legends and lesser known stories associated with this statue than you’d think. This article sifts through the many connections and stories of this Prague icon.

The 17th century¹ Church of Our Lady Victorious nestles at the foot of part of Petrin hill on Prague’s left bank. It’s easy to get to after sauntering across the Charles bridge or meandering down from the castle.

The facade is not as impressive as you may expect because this used to be a Lutheran church¹, but don’t let that put you off. The interior is a shining example of Roman Catholic decor. The statue of the Infant Jesus is on the right, about halfway through the church.

Remember this is a place of worship. At specific times priests celebrate mass in various languages. Don’t disturb those who are in prayer, so time your visit around these services.

Spain

The 45cm high statue is a Spanish work of art². Historians date it back to the 1500s¹. Legend has it that Jesus appeared to a monk somewhere between Cordoba and Seville. He sculpted the image of what he saw to make this statue³. Another story claims this statue belonged to St Theresa⁴ who gave it to a friend whose daughter was getting married in Prague⁵.

It’s funny to think of something associated with Prague as being anything other than Czech. Today people talk about “Il-bambin ta’ Prag,” “Il bambino di Praga” and “the infant Jesus of Prague” without realising its origins.

Bohemia

St Theresa’s friend’s daughter could have been Spanish Duchess Marie Manriquez de Lara. We know it was she who brought the statue to Prague^{2 3}, and it may have been a wedding gift she received¹. Marie married Vrastislav of Pernštejn in 1556^{1 5}. She then gave the statue to her own daughter Polyxena^{3 5} as a wedding gift when she wed Vilém of Rožmberk.

In 1628² Polyxena donated the statue to the monastery of Discalced Carmelites at the church of Our Lady Victorious^{1 2 3}. As per tradition, mothers gave the statue to their daughters¹. Polyxena didn’t have any female heirs¹, which may be why she gave it to the church instead. The Church dedicated this building to Mary, who locals believe helped Imperial forces win the Battle of White Mountain².

As I explain in my article about the Thirty Years’ War, they won due to numbers and military tactics. Luck, faith or superstition had nothing to do with it.

In 1631 Saxons pillaged Prague and they discarded the statue as junk⁵.

In 1637, the monks returned to Prague. Father Cyril remembered the statue and found it^{5 6}, arms chopped off^{2 6}. He claimed he heard the infant Jesus ask him for new arms, so he had some made for the statue^{5 6}. From this point onwards people began to credit the statue with miraculous healing⁷. One historical act attributed to the statue is saving Prague during the 1639 siege⁵.

This sense of connection between the statue and Bohemian history is no coincidence. This connection is what would have made people venerate the statue. Over time, the veneration becomes more important than the statue. It’s an important part of any religion.

Malta

More and more miracles took place². Empress Marie Therese of the Hapsburg family was so taken by the peoples’ veneration she made a green robe, embroidered in gold^{2 3}, for the statue. Interest in the statue was so large, the Church built a specific altar for it in 1776⁵. By 1784, the Knights of Malta took over the administration of the Church^{1 8}.

The first time I walked into the church all I could see was the Maltese Cross. They’ve used it as an emblem on all the altars so it’s hard to miss. The church’s proximity to the embassy of the Knights of Malta can’t be a coincidence. It is a small touch of home that puts a smile on my face.

The New World

Interest waned as the Austro-Hungarian empire went through pro- and anti-Roman Catholic periods⁵. I suppose we should be thankful this was not destroyed, like the Marian column on the Old Town Square was⁹. By the early 20th century Spanish and Portuguese travellers took pictures and copies of the statue to South America and the rest of the World^{5 10}.

Francesco Magellan credited the statue with the conversion of the Philippines^2 5 where it is now venerated as Santo Niño.

In Haitian voodoo, Santo Niño is the spirit Papa Legba who grants permission to speak to other spirits¹¹.

In the Caribbean and South America, the image of Santo Niño is now a Santeria icon. This religion uses Roman Catholic imagery to represent the human form of spirits, known as Òrìṣ๹. To the casual observer, since the iconography is similar, you’d think these were Catholics. Their shrines are full of Roman Catholic saints so why wouldn’t you?

It’s interesting other religions adopt Roman Catholic imagery for their own purposes. It’s what the Roman Catholic religion did with older pagan rituals. It goes to show there isn’t that much originality in the world!

You’ll find many practising Santeria in North America too because of the large Hispanic communities. Specialised shops exist from where you can buy incense, candles and all other accoutrements of the Santeria religion. Images of the Santo Niño represent Ellegua, the Orisha of roads. He is a powerful spirit that approves Santeria ceremonies before they start. This makes him an important and central figure in the religion. People leave offerings of food, except pigeon because Ellegua doesn’t like that. His favourite is goat or rooster¹¹.

From miraculous apparition to voodoo doll, who would have thought it? Let these stories swirl around you in the silence of the sanctuary as you admire the infant Jesus of Prague.

References

1. The Tumultuous History of Prague’s Shrine of the Infant Jesus, Enrique Molina and Vojtěch Pochanka; Radio Prague International; 2020-11-07[↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
2. Church of our Lady Victorious; Prague.EU; (Retrieved 2018-11-16) [↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
3. Prague Infant Jesus; Prague.CZ; (Retrieved 2018-11-16) [↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
4. “Miraculous” Infant Jesus; CentreForInquiry.org; 2016-11-07[↩]
5. The History and Veneration of the Infant Jesus of Prague; pragJesu.CZ; (Retrieved 2018-11-16) [↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩][↩]
6. History of the Infant Jesus of Prague; InfantPrague.org; (Retrieved 2018-11-16) [↩][↩][↩]
7. Infant Jesus of Prague – Basic information; Prague city line; (Retrieved 2018-11-16) [↩]
8. History of the church as described inside the church; Witnessed by author 2019-11-25[↩]
9. Prague’s Marian Column; Antoine P. Borg; The Unexpected Traveller; 2017-08-07[↩]
10. Encyclopedia of Sacred Places, 2nd Edition; Norbert C. Brockman; 2011[↩]
11. The Infant of Prague is a Santeria icon; Magic Bohemia; (Retrieved 2018-11-16) [↩][↩][↩]

Remember: links were correct at time of publication.