Gracious statue
The statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague is more than 400 years old. It reflects God’s incarnation, spiritual childhood and the dignity of both Christ’s and our own humanity.
Veneration of the Infant Jesus of Prague is a spiritual extension of Christmas. We bow down to Christ embodied. We profess that God took onto Himself human form and recognise that childhood is part of it. “God made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness…” (Phil 2,7). Jesus Christ experiences complete human life, from beginning to end. In His conception, birth, and childhood we meet the real God, as well as in his adulthood, death, and resurrection. Adult Jesus, Master and teacher, later on invites his disciples: “In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18,3)
Initially veneration was spread by the Carmelite order. A copy of the gracious statue has travelled to almost every monastery. From the middle 18th century the veneration of the Infant Jesus of Prague spread to all the countries of the former Austrian empire. A second wave of veneration occurred at the turn of 19th and 20th century when veneration miraculously spread all over the world. This spread of veneration also has its strongest roots in Spain, from where the Infant Jesus originates. Spanish and Portuguese travelled with pictures and statues of the Infant Jesus across the Atlantic Ocean to the colonial countries in South America. Thanks to missionaries and European immigrants, the Infant Jesus is known in India, China, the Philippines, and in North America. Today it is venerated most in Spanish-speaking countries. News of prayers being miraculously answered comes from all over the world.
The statue of the Infant Jesus in the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague’s Malá Strana receives visitors from all over the world every day. Its value does not lie in exceptional artistic merit, but in its spiritual beauty and impact.
The statue is 47 centimeters tall. It is made of wood with a surface modelled from coloured wax. Canvas shows though beneath the wax. It represents the Child Jesus at the age of four to five years. The face has a distinctive expression no copy accurately reproduce. Moorish features can be observed in the face and in the curly hair, which was originally darker. This corresponds the Spanish origin of the statue.
The Infant Jesus is dressed in a long under-robe beneath which we can see his bare feet. He blesses with his right hand, while in his left he holds the symbol of his rule over the world – an imperial orb topped with a cross. His palm has a slot for attaching the orb. The statue is dressed in royal robes. In the past, the robes were decorated with precious jewels given by the faithful. The most valuable jewel, now lost, was a copy of the Order of the Golden Fleece. The head of the Infant Jesus is adorned with a historic crown. The crown in not placed directly on the statue, instead it is attached separately just above the Infant Jesus.
People know the Infant Jesus mainly wearing his royal robes. Dressing the Infant Jesus emphasises his true humanity – just as a mother dresses her child, so the Carmelite Sisters dress Jesus. Yet the robes themselves indicate his divinity and his priestly and royal majesty.
Like a priest at the altar, the Infant Jesus is dressed in the colours of the liturgical season according to the church calendar. Generally, four basic colours are used:
Red: The colour of blood and fire – for Holy week, Pentecost and Feasts of the Holy Cross
Green: The colour of life and hope – for ordinary time (the most common colour)
White: The colour of glory, purity, and holiness – for celebrations, Christmas and Easter
Purple: The colour of penance – for Lent and Advent
On the day of the coronation celebration, the Infant Jesus is dressed in royal robes with an ermine cloak. On special occasions, other colours are used:
Pink: The colour of muted joy – can be used for the third Advent Sunday and the fourth Sunday in Lent
Blue: Can be sometimes used as a celebration colour, especially for the feast of Our Lady
Golden: The colour of feast – can substitute other colours
The wardrobe of the statue contains around three hundred robes of which some are not usable. Most of them are gifts of gratitude. It is possible to see part of the Infant Jesus’ wardrobe in our museum, which has free access. The Carmelite Sisters of the Child Jesus are in charge of dressing the Infant Jesus. The Sisters help the Discalced Carmelite Brothers to look after this place of pilgrimage.
The first layer of clothing is the under-gown – alb. It is a white linen gown with openings for the arms or short sleeves. Sometimes it is decorated with simple embroidery or lace. The under-gown is put on over the head and fastened at the back with buttons or ties.
Over the alb a coloured gown is put on. Its design resembles a child’s gown and it is also fastened at the back. The front of this gown is richly decorated often with motifs drawn from Christian symbolism. The lower edge is usually finished with lace or another type of decorative trim.
The top layer is a cloak, matching the gown in colour and pattern. The left side falls freely over the shoulder, while the front right side is folded over the blessing arm so that the lower part of the cloak becomes visible. Decorated fabric is usually used on the left front side and on the right part of the reverse. Some cloaks, however, are draped over the shoulders without folding, so the pattern appears only on the outer part, while the reverse side is lined. The decoration is concentrated on the upper side sections. The edges of the cloak are usually ornamented in a similar way to the gown.
Finally, ruffs are placed on the wrists and around the neck if they are not part of the under-gown, lace is usually used for these as well. The imperial orb is placed in the Infant Jesus’ left hand and the crown is positioned over his head.
The coronation of the Infant Jesus expresses the faith that the Child Jesus is the gracious King of the whole world.
When and How it is CelebratedThe coronation celebration of the gracious statue of the Child Jesus is celebrated every year on the first Sunday in May. The infant Jesus is displayed in the presbytery during the Saturday and Sunday so that believers can meet him in closer proximity. The main pilgrimage mass of the Child Jesus is celebrated on Sunday at 10 o’clock. Next Coronation Celebration will take place on Sunday May 3rd 2026.
This celebration originates in history. The family of the Earls of Martinice were enormous admirers of the Infant Jesus. At their initiative a procession of the statue of the Infant Jesus took place in 1651. It travelled from one Prague church to another. In 1665 the Bishop of Prague ceremonially decorated the gracious statue with a crown. The highest burgrave of the Czech kingdom, Bernard of Martinice, had the crown made for the statue. Currently, the stature is decorated with a gilded silver crown from 1767. The newest crown was donated by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Prague in 2009. It can be seen in the museum together with a historical crown from 1820.
According to sources, the statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague originates in Spain. It was probably made in Spain sometime in the second half of the 16th century or earlier. Legend says that the Infant Jesus miraculously appeared to the monk who moulded the statue based on his vision. A different legend tells us that the statue was owned by St. Theresa of Jesus who greatly venerated Jesus’ childhood and spread the veneration of the Infant Jesus throughout Spain. She is said to have given the statue to a friend whose daughter was getting married in Prague.
It is an established fact that the statue of the Infant Jesus was brought to Prague by the Spanish Duchess Marie Manriquez de Lara, who married Vratislav of Pernštejn in 1556. Later she gave the statue to her daughter Polyxena of Lobkowicz as a wedding gift. She greatly venerated the statue and received consolation and help from it many times.
Polyxena of Lobkowicz donated the statue as a precious gift to the monastery of Discalced Carmelites at the church of Our Lady Victorious. The Carmelites placed the statue in their novitiate chapel so that the young monks would learn the virtues of the little Jesus. The novitices greatly took to the statue and performed everyday worship before it. Later the novitiate was closed down in Prague and the veneration of the Infant Jesus almost ceased.
In 1631 the Saxons seized Prague. The Carmelites fled from the monastery. The monastery was plundered and the Infant Jesus was damaged and discarded as junk.
The monks returned to Prague in 1637. With them was also Father Cyril of the Mother of God, originally from Luxembourg, who remembered his time as a novice and the powerful intercession of the Infant Jesus. He found the statue among old junk. With great sorrow he discovered that both its arms had been broken off. During prayer he heard the Infant Jesus say: “Have mercy on me and I will have mercy on you. Give me my arms and I will give you my peace. I will bless you as much as you will venerate me!”. Eventually, Father Cyril was able to have new arms made for the Infant Jesus.
The Infant Jesus began to bless the monastery, the local people, and also the entire city of Prague. He was credited with miraculous healing and also with saving Prague during the Swedish siege in 1639. At that time the statue was located in the choir where the believers could not worship it publicly.
In 1641 the statue was moved to a chapel in the church, on the left behind the entrance (today the St. Cross Chapel). In 1651 the statue was carried in processions to Prague churches.
In 1655 the statue was crowned by the Bishop of Prague. The number of miracles and prayers answered continued to rise.
The capacity of the chapel was no longer sufficient. Crowds of admirers were blocking the entry to the church. For this reason, in 1741 the statue was relocated to its present place on the right in the middle of the church nave. In 1776 a worthy altar was built for the statue.
The Empress Marie Terezie personally donated an embroidered robe to the Infant Jesus in 1754. The veneration of the Infant Jesus of Prague started to spread to all the other countries of the former Austrian empire.
In 1776 a worthy altar was built for the statue. Both walls of the alcove are covered with plates of thanks for intercessions.
The successor to the throne, Josef II. (1780-1790) launched a campaign against both the monasteries and common people’s religion. The Carmelite monastery in Mala Strana was abolished as part of Josef’s reforms. The church and the altar of the Infant Jesus went into decay.
The restoration of the altar in 1879 was successful but the Infant Jesus had to beg for the money for the restoration himself. He made a pilgrimage through Prague’s women’s convents with a begging sack. The necessary sum of money was collected, and at the same time the veneration of the Infant Jesus was revived. Reports of miracles were coming from throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The 300th anniversary of the veneration of the Infant Jesus was marked with great splendour. The Infant Jesus was also the focus of great attention from the participants at the Catholic Convention in 1935. By the turn of the 19th and 20th century, the veneration of the Infant Jesus had spread all over the world in a miraculous way. It took roots to the greatest extent in Spain from where the Infant Jesus originated. The Spanish and Portuguese travelled with pictures and statues of the Infant Jesus over the Atlantic Ocean to the colonial countries in South America. Thanks to missionaries, colonisers, and European immigrants, the Infant Jesus is known in India, China, the Philippines, and in North America.
Due to Nazi and communist dictatorships, veneration was silenced for more than 50 years. However, crowds of pilgrims still travelled to see the Infant Jesus, mainly from Spanish speaking countries.
In 1993, the Discalced Carmelites returned to the Church of Our Lady Victorious. The veneration of the Infant Jesus was brought back to life.
The most important event so far has been the visit of Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. In his speech, the Pope stated that the Infant Jesus demonstrated God’s closeness and love through his child tenderness. The Pope prayed for children who are victims of violence and different forms of abuse. He also prayed for broken and unfaithful families. He offered a crown as a present for the Infant Jesus.
