PRAGUE GUIDE

An early baroque building from the 1611, rebuilt by the Carmelite order in 1634 – 1669. The church is world-famous thanks to the Prague Bambino - Infant Jesus wax figure (of the Spanish origin), which was presented to the church by Polyxena of Lobkowicz (1628).

Infant Jesus of Prague

(Czech Pražské Jezulátko) is a famous statue of infant Jesus located in the Church of Our Lady Victorious in Lesser Town. Its history started in the beginning of the 17th century when a statue of the Infant Jesus was brought into Bohemia by a Spanish Princess. This princess had been given the statue as a wedding gift by her mother, Maria Manriquez de Lara of Spain, and the statue eventually was given to the Discalced Carmelites in Prague. The statue was set up in the oratory of the monastery, and twice a day, special devotions to Jesus were performed before it.

Disturbances in Bohemia due to the Thirty Years War brought an end to the special devotions, and on November 15, 1631, the army of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden took possession of the churches of the capital city of Bohemia. The Carmelite friary was plundered by the Lutheran Protestant Swedish, and the image of the Infant of Prague was thrown into a pile of rubbish behind the altar. Here it lay forgotten for seven years until it was found again in 1637. Since then, the statue has remained in Prague and has drawn many devotees worldwide to go and honour the Holy Child. Claims of blessings, favours and miraculous healings have been made by many who petitioned before the Infant Jesus.

The Infant Jesus of Prague as it appears during the Lenten season in Our Lady of Victory Church. The exact origin of the Infant Jesus statue was not truly known, but historical sources point to a small 28cm high sculpture of the Holy Child with a bird in his right hand carved in around the year 1340. Many other Infant Jesus sculptures were also carved by famous masters throughout Europe in the Middle Ages.

Today, thousands of pilgrims pay homage to the Infant of Prague each year. The tradition of the Infant Jesus procession and the coronation continues to this day. On May 27, 1995, a solemn procession of the Infant Jesus took place in the streets of Prague with Cardinal Sin of Manila (Philippines) and Cardinal Vlk of Prague leading the procession. This ceremony was the closing highlight of the annual Feast of the Infant Jesus in Prague.

Address: Karmelitská 9, 118 00 Praha 1 – Lesser Town
Phone: +420 257 533 646, web: www.pragjesu.info
Opening hours: Mon. - Sat. 8.30 a.m. - 7 p.m., Sun. 8.30 a.m. - 8 p.m. 

Opening hours: All the year round daily, the sightseeing possible outside the times of the divine services, the museum Mondays – Saturdays 9:30 – 17:30, Sundays 13:00 – 18:00

Museum - Wardrobe of the Infant

Jesus of Prague, devotional items, and a video of the changing of the dress of the Infant Jesus statue; sale of religious art and souvenirs in the shop inside the monastery, open Mon-Sat 9 am-5 pm, Sun 1 pm-6 pm.

Other names:

- CHURCH OF OUR LADY VICTORIOUS
- KOSTEL PANNY MARIE VÍTĚZNÉ
- INFANT JESUS OF PRAGUE (Pražské Jezulátko)