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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".

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.

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.

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.

• Public motto of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.
• Motto of the Royal Black Institution.
• Appears on the 33 degree crest in the Scottish rite branch of Freemasonry.

• 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.Eunans College of Letterkenny, Co.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

• 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 mechanised infantry battalion, Norwegian Army.
• Motto of 814 Squadron of the British Fleet Air Arm.
• Motto of 7th Scout Ranger Company, Philippine Army

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

• 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 Carnivale, 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.

• 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

• Labarum