The labarum was a Christian battle standard in the form of a pennant upon which was displayed a Christogram. The pennant was square and hung down from a short horizontal wooden arm. The arm was placed atop a tall wooden staff so it could be seen by the soldiers above the confusion of battle. The labarum gradually came to replace the very individualistic vexillum, which was a battle standard that was different for each legion. Its presence on a coin signified that the army was a Christian one. According to legend, Constantine I had a dream the night before a decisive battle at the Milvian Bridge in A. D. 212. In the dream, Jesus appeared to Constantine and said to him "In this sign shalt thou conquer!" (IN HOC SIGNO VINCES). The sign is believed to be the Christogram or Chi - Rho. Constantine immediately had the sign emblazoned on his legions’ gear, perhaps on the shields. This symbol came to decorate the standards of Roman armies from that time on.
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