In Hoc Signo Vinces

In hoc signo vinces is a Latin rendering of the Greek phrase "ἐν τούτῳ νίκα" en touto nika and means "in this sign you will conquer".

According to legend, Constantine I adopted this Greek phrase, "εν τούτῳ νίκα" (in this, win) as a motto after his vision of a chi rho in the sky just before the Battle of Milvian Bridge against Maxentius on 28 October 312. The early Christian symbol consists of a monogram composed of the Greek letters chi (X) and rho (P), the first two letters in the name Christ (Greek: Χριστός). In later periods, the christogram "IHS" both stood for the first three letters of "Jesus" in Latinized Greek (Ιησούς, Latinized ) and "in hoc signo" from the legend.