Church of Our Lady of Victories

The Church of Our Lady of Victories, also referred as the Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague, in Malá Strana, the "Lesser Quarter" of Prague, is a church governed and administered by the Discalced Carmelites. The shrine is home to the famed statue called the Infant Jesus of Prague. The statue, which originated in Spain, is a 16th-century representation of infant Child Jesus holding a globus cruciger. It was donated to the Carmelite friars in 1628 by Polyxena, First Princess of the House of Lobkowicz. Pope Leo XII granted its first pontifical decree of canonical coronation on 24 September 1824, signed and notarized by Cardinal Pietro Francesco Galleffi for the Patriarchal Council of the "Vatican Chapter", as the first Christological image granted this prestigious honor. On 30 March 1913, Pope Pius X granted authorization to erect the Confraternity of the Infant Jesus of Prague based on former regulations promulgated by Pope Clement VIII, which was signed and notarized by Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val. Pope Benedict XVI crowned the image for the second time during his Apostolic visit to the Czech Republic on 26 September 2009. The venerated image, along with its canoness custodians celebrated its 200 years of pontifical coronation in 2024.