Its origins are somewhat shrouded in mystery. The statue of infant Jesus with a globe in his left hand was believed to have been carved sometime in the 14th century, a copy of a venerated wooden sculpture. For a time it was in the possession of a noble Spanish family, before a marriage brought it to a Prague, Czechoslovakia, monastery. The statue was nearly destroyed during the Saxon sweep through Prague in 1631, but against all odds, it was recovered and repaired, and began to be associated with miracles.

On this day, April 4, 1655, the Infant Jesus was coronated by Archbishop Josef Corta acting for Cardinal Harrach III, who was sick.

The infant Jesus statue was said to have first promised prosperity to the Polyxenia of Lobkowitz who received it as a wedding gift from her mother. Later, after the Saxon invasion, it was found by a destitute monk, to whom infant Jesus said “Have pity on me and I will have pity on you. Return to me my hands and I will give you peace. The more you honor me the more I will bless you.” Though having no money to repair the statue’s broken hands, at the direction of Infant Jesus he left it at the monastery entrance, and soon a miraculous donor came forward to fix the statue.