The Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague has been the home of the Infant Jesus for the last 4 centuries. The original Carmelite Monastery of Our Lady of the Victory in Mala Strana in Prague was its first resting place. In the year 1631 the Saxons invaded Prague and the plundering did not bypass the monastery. The sculpture of the Child Jesus was thrown out with the waste behind the High Altar. Here Father Cyril a Matre Dei found it when he returned to the abandoned church in Mala Strana from München. The sculpture was damaged. After many attempts in vain, Father Cyril was happy to get some money from a Prague citizen for repairing the broken arms. The Infant Jesus thus became again the object of worship and a number of miracles were linked to the statue and also the protection of Prague from the Swedes.

At first the Infant Jesus was placed in the chapel of the Holy Rood. In 1741 because of the great number of pilgrims, it was transfered to the side altar of St. Joachim and St. Anne, opposite the miraculous picture of the Virgin Mary of Mantua. The Altar in its construction shows two lines. The vertical line goes from the Holy Ghoste via God the Father to the Child Jesus. The other - horizontal line passes from the Virgin Mary over the Child Jesus to St. Joseph. These represent the two levels of the human and the divine family. At that time small silver pieces like links were placed around as signs of thanksgiving. This peaceful time did not last long. After the death of the Empress Mary Theresa, her son Joseph II. followed her on the throne in Austria. He abolished the Carmelite monastery on July 3rd 1784. The church became a parish, that was administered by the Maltese Knights.

In the 19th century the fame of the miraculous Infant Jesus spread to the Spanish speaking countries of South America and Italy. And not only there! In some monasteries they used a special liturgical prayer to the Infant Jesus of Prague. Many far away Asiatic countries are thanking the Infant Jesus for miracles, like the Philippines, China and Vietnam.