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The Infant Jesus of Prague ((チェコ語:Pražské Jezulátko); (スペイン語:Niño Jesús de Praga)) is a 16th-century Roman Catholic wax-coated wooden statue of child Jesus holding a globus cruciger, located in the Carmelite Church of Our Lady Victorious in Malá Strana, Prague, Czech Republic. Pious legends state that the statue once belonged to Saint Teresa of Avila. In addition, the statue has also merited Papal recognition through Pope Leo XIII who instituted the ''Sodality to the Infant Jesus of Prague'' in 1896. On 30 March 1913, Pope Saint Pius X further organised the ''Confraternity of the Infant Jesus of Prague''. Pope Pius XI granted its first Canonical Coronation on 27 September 1924 while Pope Benedict XVI granted its second coronation to the image as well as a spare ermine fur cape during his Apostolic visit to the Czech Republic in September 2009. ==History== The exact origin of the Infant Jesus statue is not known, but historical sources point to a small 19 inch (48 cm) high sculpture of the Holy Child with a bird in his right hand presently located in the Cistercian monastery of ''Santa Maria de la Valbonna'' in Asturias, Spain which was carved around the year 1340. Many other Infant Jesus sculptures were also carved by famous masters throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. Often found in early medieval work, the significance of the bird symbolizes either a soul or the Holy Spirit. The sculptures of the Holy Child were dressed in imperial regalia reflecting the aristocratic fashion of that period.〔(Yeh, Charito. "The History of the Devotion" )〕 One legend says that a monk in a desolated monastery somewhere between Cordoba and Sevilla 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.〔("Prague Infant Jesus (Niño Jesus de Praga)", Prague.cz )〕 The Habsburg Royal family took over rule of the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1526; the kingdom developed close ties with Spain. The statue first appeared in 1556, when Maria Manriquez de Lara y Mendoza brought the image to Bohemia upon her marriage to Czech nobleman Vratislav of Pernstyn. An old legend in the Lobkowicz family reports that María's mother, Dona Isabella, had been given the statue by Saint Teresa of Avila herself.〔M. Santini: ''The Holy Infant of Prague''. Martin, Prague, 1995〕 Maria received the family heirloom as a wedding present. It later became the property of her daughter Polyxena, 1st Princess Lobkowicz (1566–1642).〔Cruz OCDS, Joan Carroll, ''Miraculous Images of Our Lord'', TAN Books and Publishers, Inc, 1995 ISBN 0-89555-496-8〕 In 1628, Princess von Lobkowicz donated the statue to the Discalced Carmelite friars (White Friars).〔Ball, Ann. "A Handbook of Catholic Sacramentals," Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, Our Sunday Visitor.〕 Upon presenting it, the pious princess Polyxena is said to have uttered a prophetic statement to the religious: The statue was placed in the oratory of the monastery of Our Lady of Victory, Prague, where special devotions to Jesus were offered before it twice a day. The Carmelite novices professed their vow of poverty in the presence of the Divine Infant. 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. In 1630, the Carmelite novitiate was transferred to Munich. 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 Bohemia's capital city. The Carmelite friary was plundered and the image of the Infant of Prague was thrown into a pile of rubbish behind the altar. Here it lay forgotten, its hands broken off, for seven years, until it was found again in 1637 by Father Cyrillus and placed in the church's oratory. One day, while praying before the statue, Father Cyrillus claimed to have heard a voice say, Since then, the statue has remained in Prague and has drawn many devotees worldwide to honor the Holy Child. Claims of blessings, favors and miraculous healings have been made by many who petitioned before the Infant Jesus.〔(Wong, Anders, "History of the Infant Jesus of Prague" )〕 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 Victory in Prague. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Infant Jesus of Prague」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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