Detail from The Vision of the Cross by assistants of Raphael, depicting the vision of the cross and the Greek writing "εν τούτω νίκα" in the sky, before the Battle of the Milvian Bridge.

Sample of use of "In hoc signo vinces" in an old Portuguese coin (year 1721)

In hoc signo vinces is the Latin transparent translation of the Greek phrase "εν τούτω νίκα", meaning "in this sign you will conquer". Image File history File links Stanze_Vaticane_-_Raffaello_-_Apparizione_della_croce. ... Image File history File links Stanze_Vaticane_-_Raffaello_-_Apparizione_della_croce. ... The Vision of the Cross is a painting made between 1520 and 1524 by assistants of the Italian renaissance artist Raphael. ... Raphael Sanzio or Raffaello (April 6, 1483 – April 6, 1520) was an Italian master painter and architect of the Florentine school in High Renaissance, celebrated for the perfection and grace of his paintings. ... Battle of the Milvian Bridge Conflict Date October 28, 312 Place Milvian Bridge (Saxa Rubra), Rome Result Defeat of Maxentius The Battle of Milvian Bridge took place on October 28, 312 between the Roman Emperors Constantine the Great and Maxentius. ... Image File history File links Moeda-400-reis-ioan-v. ... Image File history File links Moeda-400-reis-ioan-v. ...

According to legend, Constantine I adopted this Greek phrase, "εν τούτω νίκα", as a motto after his vision of a chi rho on the sky just before the Battle of Milvian Bridge against Maxentius in the year 312. The early Christian symbol consists in a cross formed by the Greek letters chi (χ) and rho (ρ), the first two in the name Christ (Greek:"Χριστός"). The historian Eusebius states that Constantine was marching with his army (Eusebius doesn't specify the actual location of the event, but it's clearly not in the camp at Rome), when he looked up to the sun and saw a cross of light above it, and with it the Greek words "Εν Τούτω Νίκα" ("in this, be victorious!", often rendered in Latin as In hoc signo vinces). At first, Constantine didn't know the meaning of the apparition, but in the following night, he had a dream in which Christ explained to him that he should use the sign against his enemies. Eusebius then continues to describe the Labarum, the military standard used by Constantine in his later wars against Licinius, showing the Chi-Rho sign. Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus[2] (27 February c. ... A motto (from Italian) is a phrase or a short list of words meant formally to describe the general motivation or intention of an entity, social group, or organization. ... An image of the labarum, with the letters Alpha and Omega inscribed. ... Combatants Constantinian forces Maxentian forces Commanders Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius† Strength ~50000 men ~75000-120000 men Casualties Unknown Unknown The Battle of Milvian Bridge took place on October 28, 312 between the Roman Emperors Constantine the Great and Maxentius. ... Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius ( 278-28 October 312) was Western Roman Emperor from 306 to 312. ... October 28 — Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine I defeats Maxentius and becomes the only Roman Emperor in the West. ... Eusebius is the name of several significant historical people: Pope Eusebius - Pope in AD 309 - 310. ...

The phrase is the motto on the coat of arms borne by Jan III Sobieski and other members of the Sobieski line; it is also on the coat of arms of the Irish noble dynasty of O'Donnell of Tyrconnell, and is the motto of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George. The phrase also appears prominently placed as a motto on a ribbon unfurled with a passion cross to its left, beneath a window over the Scala Regia, adjacent to the equestrian statue of Emperor Constantine, in the Vatican. Emperors and other monarchs, having paid respects to the Pope, descended the Scala Regia, and would observe the light shining down through the window, with the motto, reminiscent of Constantine's vision, and be reminded to follow the Cross. They would thence turn right into the atrium of St. Peter's Basilica, ostensibly so inspired. A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... Jan III Sobieski (1629-1696) (also known in English literature as John Sobieski) was one of the most notable monarchs of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death. ... Clan Janina coat-of-arms Sobieski (singular masculine; singular feminine Sobieska, plural: Sobiescy is a Polish noble family name, and may refer to: John III Sobieski, King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1674 to 1696 Jakub Sobieski (1590-1646), father of King John III Sobieski Jakub Ludwik Sobieski (James... The House of ODonnell of Tyrconnell is the dynastic Royal House of the former Kings and Princes of Tyrconnell in Ireland. ... According to its official tradition, the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George is the oldest international Roman Catholic order of chivalry; in reality the early history is legendary and it actually emerged in the middle of the 16th century. ... The Scala Regia (Royal Staircase) is a flight of steps in the Vatican City and is part of the formal entrance to the Vatican. ... This article is about the famous building in Rome. ...

This phrase was also in use by and of some significance to the Knights Templar, and also plays a role in many modern fraternal orders and secret societies including the Free Masons and the Sigma Chi Fraternity. The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon (Latin: Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonici), popularly known as the Knights Templar or the Order of the Temple, were among the most famous of the Christian military orders. ... American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ... Sigma Chi (ΣΧ) is one of the largest and oldest all-male, college, Greek-letter social fraternities. ...

Cultural references

Fraternal organizations

• Public motto of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.
• Motto of the Royal Black Institution.
• Appears on the 33rd degree crest in the Scottish rite branch of Freemasonry.
• Motto of the Sisters of Charity of Montreal, The "Grey Nuns of Montreal".

Sigma Chi (ΣΧ) is one of the largest and oldest all-male, college, Greek-letter social fraternities. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... It has been suggested that Knight Kadosh be merged into this article or section. ... The Masonic Square and Compasses. ...

Schools

• Motto of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., USA.
• Motto of the Wah Yan College, Hong Kong and Wah Yan College, Kowloon, two Jesuit-run secondary schools in Hong Kong.
• Appears on the crest of Madras Christian College of Chennai, India.
• Motto of Iona College in Brisbane, Australia.
• Appears on the crest of St. Eunan's College of Letterkenny, County Donegal, Ireland
• Motto of Waverley Christian College, Victoria, Australia
• Motto of Marist Brothers High School (Fiji)
• Motto of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Secondary School,London,England

Not to be confused with Holy Cross College (Indiana) or other similarly named Holy Cross Colleges. ... Wah Yan College, Hong Kong (WYCHK; 香港華仁書院 ; demonym: Wahyanite, pl. ... Wah Yan College, Kowloon (WYK; traditional Chinese:九龍華仁書院; Jyutping: gau2 lung4 wa4 jan2 syu1 jyun2, Pinyin: Jǐulóng Huárén ShÅ«yuàn; demonym: Wahyanite, pl. ... The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... The term, secondary school, refers to an institution where the third stage of schooling, known as secondary education, takes place. ... The Madras Christian College in Chennai, South India, is one of the oldest colleges of the Indian subcontinent and was established in 1837. ... , “Madras” redirects here. ... Iona College, founded in 1958, is located in Brisbane, Queensland approximately 20 minutes from the Brisbane CBD. Iona is an all boy Roman Catholic school operated by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. ... For the neo-gothic cathedral, see St. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Irish Grid Reference C167188 Statistics Province: Ulster County: Dáil Éireann: Donegal North East Dialling Code: 074, +000 353 74 Area: 307. ... Statistics Province: Ulster Dáil Éireann: Donegal North East, Donegal South West County Town: Lifford Code: DL Area: 4,841 km² Population (2006) 146,956 Website: www. ... Waverley Christian College is an inter-denominational and co-educational independent christian school in the Outer Eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South. ... Motto: Peace and Prosperity Other Australian states and territories Capital Melbourne Governor HE Mr John Landy Premier Steve Bracks (ALP) Area 237,629 km² (6th)  - Land 227,416 km²  - Water 10,213 km² (4. ... Marist Brothers High School is an Roman Catholic all-boys high school situated in Suva, the capital of the Fiji. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total...

Military

• Motto of the Royal Army Chaplains Department
• Appears on the patches of Marine All-Weather Fighter-Attack Squadron 533.
• Seen on the coat of arms of the second mechanized infantry battalion, Norwegian Army.
• Motto of 814th Squadron of the British Fleet Air Arm.
• Motto of 7th Scout Ranger Company, Philippine Army

The Royal Army Chaplains Department (RAChD) is an all-officer corps that provides ordained clergy to minister to the British Army. ... Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 553 (VMFA(AW)-553) is a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet squadron. ... Bataljon 2 (2BN) (2nd Battalion) is an infantry unit of the Norwegian Army, based at Skjold. ... The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ...

Sports

• Crest of the Royal Hockey Club Dragons, Antwerp, Belgium
• Motto of Birkirkara, Malta.
• Motto of the Norwegian soccer-team Storkanonan.

Birkirkara (or BKara) is a city of 21,775 inhabitants (as of November 2005) in central Malta. ...

Pop culture

• The band Deadsy adopted this saying as their band manifesto.
• Appears on the crest of Pall Mall cigarettes.
• Appears in Postal², accompanying a dollar symbol, on a statue, in front of the "Fee of America" building.
• Appears in the TV series Carnivàle, as the inscription on the Masonic temple
• Mentioned by hiphop artist Ras Kass in the song "Nature of the Threat"
• Motto appears in painting from 1974 by Polish artist Zdzislaw Beksinski.
• In the comic Piranha Club, the eponymous Piranha Club has the motto "In hoc signo piranha".

Deadsy is an American synth rock band from California. ... Pall Mall cigarettes are a brand of cigarettes produced by R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and internationally by British American Tobacco at multiple sites. ... Postal² is a 2003 computer game by Running With Scissors (RWS). ... Carnivàle, pronounced // (“car-nih-VAL”), was an American dramatic television series produced by HBO. Created by Daniel Knauf, it starred Nick Stahl and Clancy Brown. ... Ras Kass (born John Austin, on September 26, 1975 in Watts, California) is an American rapper. ... Zdzisław Beksiński (24 February 1929 – 22 February 2005) was a renowned Polish painter, photographer, and fantasy artist. ... Piranha Club is the title of a comic strip written and illustrated by Bud Grace. ...

Other

• George Lincoln Rockwell, the founder of the American Nazi Party, wrote a political manifesto called In hoc signo vinces in 1960.
• Appears on the crest of the O'Donnell clan.
• Official motto of the Scarlet Brigade Band of Fairfield High School of Fairfield California
• Appears on the coat of arms on every package of Pall Mall cigarettes.

This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... ODonnell Coat of Arms Alternative ODonnell Coat of Arms ODonnell (Irish: Ó Dónaill or Ó Dómhnaill), which is derived from the forname Domhnaill (meaning world ruler, Rex Mundi in Latin, Modern Irish spelling, Dónall) were an ancient and powerful Irish clan, kings, princes, and lords of... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... Pall mall illustrated in Old English Sports, Pastimes and Customs, published 1891 Pall mall (pronounced pal-mal or pell-mell) or palle maille was a game played in the 16th and 17th centuries, and a precursor to croquet. ...

See also

• Labarum