Shrine of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague
After our tour of Jack’s Ridge Resort and Restaurant, Jay and I proceeded, via Shrine Hills Rd., to the nearby (just 550 m. away) Shrine of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague, a widely popular destination for tourists seeking a meditative or relaxing experience. Located on top of a hill, as we approached the shrine, there are Stations of the Cross on the side of the road.
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As we visited on a Sunday, the 12 noon mass (there are also masses at 7AM and 5PM) was about to finish at the main chapel when I arrived (masses are also held, every day, at 4PM). Further left are about 4 other minor chapels while at the back of the administration building is a candle offering canopy. There is also a statue of St. Joseph carrying the infant Jesus.
The figurative Holy Infant (Sto. Niño) Jesus of Prague icon, an exact replica of the Holy Infant of Prague icon in the Carmelite Monastery and Shrine of Our Lady of Victories in Prague, was said to have been spirited out of Prague by Briccio G. Santos (head of the Film Development Center of the Philippines during the second Benigno C. Aquino administration), at the prodding of his mother, Catalina Garcia, the wife of former Davao City mayor and later interior and local government secretary Luis T. Santos. Arriving in Davao on January 15, 1968, it was then installed for veneration at the sprawling Matina Shrine owned by the Santos clan.
The image presents a crowned Child Jesus standing upright, his right hand is in a gesture of blessing while the other was holding a globus cruciger, a symbol of his Kingship. It was done in a detallado style where the image was carved with his seamless robe and vested with numerous vestments that were given by his devotees over the centuries from different Kings and Queens, noble families and his devotees from Prague and other parts of the world.
According to church history, the piety to the icon started with St. Teresa of Avila, whose devotion to Child Jesus inspired her to bring similar images to convents she founded throughout Spain. One of the icons was given to Doña Isabella Manrique, a Spanish noble woman when, in 1556, her daughter, Duchess Maria Maximiliana Manrique de Lara wedded Vratislav of Pernstein, a Czech nobleman.
The duchess relived the family inheritance, using the icon as a wedding gift which she brought to Prague. Later, she handed the image as wedding present to Lady Polyxena of Lobkovice when she married in 1587. And when Polyxena became a widow, she gave the icon to the Carmelites of Prague in 1623 for veneration.
On the opposite side of the shrine, with a separate entrance, is the Sta. Catalina Gardens and Restaurant. A function venue, it has a good view of the Metro Davao and the Davao Gulf.
Catalina’s Garden
Shrine of the Holy Infant Jesus of Prague: Broadcast Ave., Shrine Hills, Brgy. Matina Crossing, Talomo, Davao City 8000. Open daily, 5 AM to 7 PM. Entrance is free. Feast of the Holy Infant of Prague: January 15.
How to Get There: Take a metered taxi to the shrine. Ask the taxi driver to wait for you as there are no cabs available going back to the city. If the cab does not wait, take a tricycle back to city center.