Infant Jesus of Prague
Infant Jesus of Prague Gratiosus Jesulus Pragensis Pražské Jezulátko, Santo Niño de Praga, Divino Menino Jesus, Prager Jesulein | |
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Location | Prague, Czech Republic |
Date | 1556 |
Witness | Teresa of Ávila María Manrique de Lara y Mendoza Princess Polyxena of Lobkowicz |
Type | Wax coated wooden statue with wooden base and silver erector |
Approval | Pope Leo XII Pope Pius X Pope Pius XI Pope Benedict XVI |
Shrine | Church of Our Lady of Victories |
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The image is routinely clothed by the
History
The exact origin of the Infant Jesus statue is not known, but historical sources point to a 19‑inch (48 cm) sculpture of the Holy Child with a bird in his right hand currently located in the
One legend says that a monk in a desolated monastery somewhere between Córdoba and Seville had a vision of a little boy, telling him to pray. The monk had spent several hours praying and then he made a figure of the child.[4]
The
In 1628, Princess Polyxena von Lobkowicz donated the statue to the impoverished
The statue was placed in the
In 1630, the Carmelite
Since then, the statue has remained in Prague and has drawn many devotees worldwide to honour the Holy Child. Claims of blessings, favours and miraculous healings have been made by many who petitioned before the
In 1739, the Carmelites of the Austrian Province formed a special devotion apart from their regular apostolate. In 1741, the statue was moved to the epistle side of the Church of Our Lady of Victories in Prague.
Copies of the Infant Jesus arrived in Poland in 1680, and it has been popular in Polish homes, and Bohemia in general, where the copies are typically placed in glass-enclosed gables.[10][11] After the start of the Counter-Reformation era of the 17th century, the statue spread among the Christian communities of South Africa, Australia, Caribbean, Thailand and Sri Lanka.[12]
Description
The statue is a 19‑inch (48 cm) representation of the
Since 1788, the statue's raised two fingers have worn two rings, as a thanksgiving gift by a noble Czech family for healing their daughter. Some earlier records indicate that the original wig was possibly white.[15]
Vestments
Several costly embroidered vestments have been donated by benefactors. Among those donated are those from Empress
- Green – Ordinary Time
- Purple – Lent, Candlemas and Advent
- Red or gold – Christmas and Easter
- Royal blue – Immaculate Conception / Feast of Assumption.
The image ordinarily follows the liturgical colors[13] used by Catholic priests, as a representation of its priesthood.
Devotion
Prague is one of the major pilgrimage centers in Central Europe, with the Prague church housing the Infant Jesus statue offering regular Mass in Czech, Spanish, Italian and German languages.[16] The Feast of the Infant Jesus of Prague celebrates the mystery of the Incarnation, and is observed on 14 January.[5]
Each year on the first Sunday of May, a coronation feast and 45-minute public procession with a copy of the statue takes place amid a sea of devotees and tourists.[17] The first procession, initiated by the Earls of Martinice, took place in 1651; the statue of the Infant Jesus travelled from one Prague church to another. The newest crown was donated by Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Prague in 2009.[18]
The 1984 miniseries Teresa de Jesús shows Teresa of Ávila with a statue in a number of scenes. As novice mistress, Therese of the Child Jesus placed the statue in the novitiate at Lisieux, because she knew the many blessings the Divine Child brought to the Carmelite novices in Prague when it was placed in their midst.[19]
Statuettes of the Infant Jesus are placed inside many Catholic churches, sometimes with the quotation, "The more you honour me, the more I will bless you."[20]
In Ireland, the statue is popular and is called "Child of Prague". A wedding gift of a statue of the Child of Prague is particularly auspicious. Irish brides hoping for good luck and good weather on the wedding day ritually place a copy of the statue outside their homes.[21] Devotion to the Child of Prague and belief in its power to influence the weather is still strong in many parts of Ireland. It is also common to see the Child of Prague displayed in the window of houses in some of the older parts of Dublin and the practice of putting it out in the hedge or burying it in the garden as a solicitation for good weather is widespread in areas as far apart as Cork, Dublin, Sligo and the county of Leitrim.[22]
Statues of the Infant of Prague have been consecrated in churches of the U.S. states of Oklahoma, Connecticut and Michigan.[20]
Rituals
Copies of the Infant of Prague statue are venerated in many countries of the Catholic world. In the church where the original is housed, it is ritually cared for, cleaned and dressed by the Carmelite sisters of the church, who change the Infant Jesus' clothing to one of the approximately one hundred costumes donated by the faithful as gifts of devotion.[23][1] The statue has had a dedicated robe for each part of the ecclesiastical calendar. The statue is venerated, with the faithful believing that Jesus has powers to give favours to those who pray to the Infant of Prague.[24][25] Copies of the statue are also venerated by Spanish-speaking Catholic faithful around the world.[26]
Once every four years, two wooden statues of Infant Jesus made in Prague are sent to various Catholic churches of the world. The Prague church also has a dedicated service that every week ships copies of the statue, cards, religious souvenirs and other items globally to Catholic devotees.[16]
Churches modelled on the Prague church have been founded elsewhere, such as in the United States and Africa, where the devotees sing, dance, preach and shout.[27] The devotional worship of Infant Jesus of Prague is not limited to Prague, and during the 18th century it expanded to churches in Central Europe. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as plaster and metal moulding became more affordable, the statues of the Infant of Prague spread rapidly into the homes of modern Europe.[24][28]
A
Pontifical approbations
- Pope Leo XII — granted a decree of pontifical coronation on 24 September 1824, notarized by the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, Cardinal Pietro Francesco Galleffi on behalf of the Patriarchal Council of the “Vatican Chapter” thus being the first Christological image to be granted a prestigious honor.[citation needed]
- Child Jesus, but not exactly the same.[31]
- Order of Discalced Carmelitesin Prague via the decree Per Similes Literras on 25 January 1923.
- Pope Benedict XVI — during an apostolic visit to the Czech Republic in September 2009, visited the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Prague and donated a golden crown with eight shells with numerous pearls and garnets, which is at present worn by the statue.[32] Since that year, the 1924 "cushion crown" of the image is now permanently kept in the Carmelite museum on display behind the church while the garnet crown donated by Benedict is the one that is permanently worn by the statue.
Child Jesus statues venerated in other countries
- Since 1200, pious legends and religious devotion within the Iberian peninsula, among communities of Portugal and Spain, the Santo Niño de Atocha carrying a basket spans various miraculous legends. The legend was also carried over to Mexico where similar Christian mythologies were later re-created.[33]
- Since 1499, in granted the image a pontifical decree of coronation in 1897.
- Since 1521, the Cebu, Philippines, with Spanish Conquistador Ferdinand Magellan. The image is currently housed in a Spanish basilica church built in 1739. A yearly nine-day celebration or novena was introduced in 1889 that includes a procession held in the statue's honour, attracting over a million pilgrims each January.[33] Pope Paul VIgranted the image a pontifical decree of coronation in 1965.
- Since 1536, originally from Belgium, the expressions, accessories and hand posture of Santo Niño de Cebú are similar to the Infant Jesus of Mechelen, and it is believed that both statues originated from the same European source, in Belgium with the devotion to the Philippine image starting earlier of the two.[35][26]
- Since 1897, in Missouri, United States, a statue of the image enshrined at the Saint John Nepomuk oldest Czech parish in United States was given a diocesan coronation on 4 January 1948 by its parish priest, Father Albert Prokes. The venerated image dates back from 1897, brought to America by Monsignor Joseph Hessoun (1853–1903) from his native Czechoslovakia. Pious believers donated their personal jewelry to the image, executed into a crown, pendant and ornaments by local jeweler Edgar Schmidt.
- Since 1902, the Bambino Gesu of Arenzano in the Basilica of Arenzano is an image copy brought over by Italian Marquess Delphina Gavotti of Savona. A former painting copy of the image was initially brought over by the Carmelite friars. Pope Pius XI granted a decree of pontifical coronation on 24 February 1924 and was crowned by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val on 6 September 1924.
- Since May 1971, in Bangalore, India, a statue of the infant Jesus has been enshrined at Infant Jesus Church[36] in Viveknagar. The former Archbishop of Bangalore, Alphonsus Mathias formally blessed the image in 1989 by popular demand.
See also
- List of canonically crowned images
- List of statues of Jesus
- Infant Jesus of Mechelen
- Santo Niño de Cebu
- Divino Niño
- Holy Infant of Good Health
- Lobkowicz family
- Christ Child
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4982-3300-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-2-85816-857-6.
- ^ "Infant Jesus .com :: Devotion". www.infantjesus.com. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ^ a b c "The History and Veneration of the Infant Jesus of Prague", pragjesu.cz
- ^ a b c "What is the origin of the Infant Jesus of Prague?", The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
- ^ M. Santini: The Holy Infant of Prague. Martin, Prague, 1995
- ^ ISBN 0-89555-496-8
- ^ "History - Miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague", National Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague, Prague, Oklahoma
- ^ Wong, Anders, "History of the Infant Jesus of Prague"
- ^ Rosa C. Tenazas (1965). The Santo Niño of Cebu. Catholic Trade School, University of San Carlos. pp. 9–10.
- ^ LW Reilly (1911). Our Young People, Volume 20, Number 6. Wisconsin: St Francis Press. pp. 175–176.
- ISBN 978-1-5128-1822-2.
- ^ a b "Statue of the Infant Jesus", Prague City Line
- ^ "The statue of Infant Jesus of Prague", Our Lady of Victory Church Archived 7 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ball, Ann. "A Handbook of Catholic Sacramentals," Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-57607-004-8.
- ^ "Czech Rep. Procession", Agencia EFE
- ^ "The Prague Infant Jesus' Coronation Celebration", pragjesu.cz
- ^ "Davies, O.Carm., Peter. "The Miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague"" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 November 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-57859-230-2.
- ISBN 978-1-84488-322-6.
- ^ "The Infant of Prague Irish customs - World Cultures European". www.irishcultureandcustoms.com. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
- ISBN 978-0-8103-9488-9., Alternate Link
- ^ ISBN 978-2-85399-552-8.
- ^ Thomas De Witt (1859). Annual Report of the American and Foreign Christian Union, Volume 10, Number 7 (July). American and Foreign Christian Union. pp. 217–218.
- ^ ISBN 9788070072912.
- ^ Margarita Simon Guillory (2011), Creating Selves: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Self and Creativity in African American Religion, PhD Thesis, Awarded by Rice University, Advisor: Anthony Pinn, pages 122-128
- S2CID 159896901.
- ^ "Confraternity of the Divine Infant of Prague", American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 53, 1915, p. 597
- ^ Mulleady O.D.C., Barthold. "Devotion to the Infant Jesus", American Ecclesiastical Review, Volume 57, 1917, p. 605 et seq.
- ^ "THE MIRACULOUS INFANT JESUS OF PRAGUE", The Sacred Heart Review, Volume 18, Number 14, 2 October 1897
- ^ "Child of Prague", Czech Republic, Land of Stories
- ^ ISBN 978-1-59884-655-3.
- ISBN 978-1-59884-655-3.
- ISBN 978-1-5128-1822-2.
- ^ "INFANT JESUS CHURCH". infantjesusbangalore.com. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
Further reading
- Emericus a S. Stephano O.Carm.Disc.: Pragerisches Gross und Klein. Das ist: Geschichtes-Verfassung dess in seinen seltsamen Gnaden, scheinbaren Wunder Zeichen, Wunder-würdigen Begebenheiten Grossen … (Prague 1737). Accessible through Dpt. of manuscripts and old printed books, National library of the Czech Republic. Sig. 51-G-39. (This is the original edition of the legend.)
- Emericus a S. Stephano O.Carm.Disc.: Pražské Weliké a Malé. To gest Wejtah Příběhův … (Prague 1749). This is the first Czech translation of the upper one.
- The Infant of Prague, by the Reverend Ludvik Nemec, Benziger Brothers, Inc, 1958.
- Holy Infant Jesus, by Ann Ball & Damian Hinojosa, The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2006. ISBN 0-8245-2407-1
- The INFANT JESUS OF PRAGUE and Its Veneration, by Rev. H Koneberg, O.S.B. Translated from the Seventh Revised Edition of Rev. Joseph Mayer, C.SS.R Catholic Book Publishing Co. New York, N.Y. Nihil Obstat: John M. Fearns, S.T.D. Censor Librorum Imprimatur: Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archiepiscopus Neo Eboracensis Sept 16, 1946
External links
- Official website of the Infant Jesus of Prague
- [1] The Society of the Infant of Prague.
- Davies, O.Carm., Peter. "The Miraculous Infant Jesus of Prague" Archived 24 November 2019 at the Wayback Machine