Infant
Jesus of Prague given by Princess Polyxena von Lobkowicz to the
Discalced Carmelites in 1628, in the Carmelite Church of Our Lady
Victorious in Prague. Photo by Jayarathina
Its earliest history can be traced back to Prague in the year 1628
when the small, 19-inch high, wooden and coated wax statue of the Infant
Jesus was given by Princess Polyxena von Lobkowicz (1566–1642) to the
Discalced Carmelites, to whom she had become greatly attached. The
princess had received the statue as a wedding gift (1603) from her
mother, Maria Maximiliana Manrique de Lara y Mendoza, wife of Vratislav
of Pernstyn, Chancellor of the Czech Kingdom (1530-1582), who also had
received the statue as a wedding gift (1555) and who had brought It from
her homeland of Spain to Lobkowicz Palace in Bohemia. An old legend in
the Lobkowicz family insists that Doña María had been given the statue
by Saint Teresa of Avila herself.
Doña María Maxmiliana Manrique de Lara y Mendoza
In 1628, Princess Polyxena von Lobkowicz presented the statue to the
Carmelite friars. Upon presenting the statue, the pious Princess
Polyxena is said to have uttered a prophetic statement to the religious:
“Venerable Fathers, I bring you my dearest possession. Honour this
image and you shall never want”. The statue was placed in the oratory of
the monastery of Our Lady of Victory, Prague, where special devotions
to the Infant Jesus were offered twice a day. Upon hearing of the
Carmelites’ devotions and needs, the Emperor Ferdinand II of the House
of Habsburg sent along 2,000 florins and a monthly stipend for their
support.
Princess Polyxena von Lobkowicz entrusting the Statue to the Carmelite Friars.
The Statue remains on display in the Church of Our Lady Victorious in
Prague, where It attracts thousands of visitors each year. A copy of
the Infant Jesus of Prague is on permanent display in the Lobkowicz
Palace Museum.
Princess Polyxena von Lobkowicz
The Infant had always been dressed in splendid gowns, decorated with
precious jewels. The oldest extant gown was presented to the Infant
Jesus by the Emperor Ferdinand III. In His collection the Infant Jesus
has more than a hundred precious dresses and some of them can be seem in
the Cathedral’s museum. The Infant Jesus is dressed in the royal dress
with an ermine mantle only during coronation ceremonies.
Links to two pictures of the Infant of Jesus of Prague’s gowns are below. Picture 1 Picture 2
