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Sunday, April 26, 2020

Sunday Church Phot-o' the Day: Infant of Prague; Church of Our Lady Victorious; Prague,Czechia


This is the Infant Of Prague, found in the Church of Our Lady Victorious (Kostel Panny Marie Vítězné) located in the Mala Strana neighborhood of the Czech capital.

On my first visit to Prague, I went to this church (just down the block from the hotel where I was staying) hoping to see the statue. When I walked in, wondering where the Infant of Prague would be, I looked up and I was shocked. Off to my right, halfway down the aisle between the doors and the altar, there he was, the Infant of Prague. Right in the open!

This is one of the most important religious icons in the world. It is definitely the most important icon in the Czech Republic and, unless I'm forgetting something obvious in Poland, it is the most important religious statue to be found in the Slavic world. And it is located in a relatively small, nondescript church in a modest neighborhood of Prague. And it is right there, in the middle of the church, for all to see. It's not locked away in a reliquary in the cathedral, paraded about once a year on an important feast day. (The Infant of Prague's feast day, for those keeping score, is January 14.)

For those who are not well-acquainted with Catholic theology, we Catholics do not pray TO the Infant of Prague. We pray AT the Infant of Prague, because, even though this is only a wax doll, this wax doll reminds us that our lord came into this world as an infant. So, yes, it would be accurate to describe the Infant of Prague icon as the world's most important wax doll.

This picture is from my second visit to Prague, in May 2018.

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