The year is 312 AD and Constantine the Great has amassed his forces on the North side of the Tiber river in preparation for war againt his Tretrarch rival, Emperor Maxentius.
With an army twice the size and in possession of the only bridge across the river back to Rome, Maxentius' defenses seemed an impregnable fortress to Constantine as he surveyed the Milvian Bridge; the focal point of the impending battle.
Undeterred by their situation, Constantine and his men were never more confident of victory, despite the overwhelming odds in their enemies' favor.
As the historian Eusebius recounts of the days before, "while Constantine was thus praying with fervent entreaty, a most marvelous sign appeared to him from heaven.
About noon, when the day was already beginning to decline, he saw with his own eyes the trophy of a cross of light in the heavens, above the sun, and bearing the inscription, In Hoc Signo Vinces (in this sign you shall conquer)."
Not only was the Emperor struck with amazement at the appearance of this supernatural event, but as was the entire army who had also witnessed the incredible vision in the sky.
As Eusebius records, "Constantine doubted within himself what the importance of this apparition could be. And while he continued to ponder and reason on its meaning, night suddenly came on; then in his sleep the Christ of God appeared to him with the same sign which he had seen in the heavens, and commanded him to make a likeness of that sign which he had seen in the heavens, and to use it as a safeguard in all engagements with his enemies."
The historian goes on to say, "At dawn of day he arose, and communicated the marvel to his friends: and then, calling together the workers in gold and precious stones, he sat in the midst of them, and described to them the figure of the sign he had seen, bidding them represent it in gold and precious stones. And this representation I myself have had an opportunity of seeing."
He describes the exact vision and the symbol in great details, saying "A long spear, overlaid with gold, formed the figure of the cross by means of a transverse bar laid over it. On the top of the whole was fixed the symbol of the Savior's name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its center."
It was on the eve of the battle of Milvian Bridge that the symbol of the Chi Rho was born, and that symbol was delineated on the shields of every single soldier in Constantine's army.
Inspired by their divine protection and now amassed on the North side of the Tiber river, Constantine first launched his cavalry at the cavalry of Maxentius and broke them on the first charge.
Constantine's infantry then advanced and pushed Maxentius' forces back almost immediately, where they were forced into the river and drowned.
Calling a hasty retreat,Maxentius' forces withdrew amidst an onslaught of swords and spears back across the only egress route, the Milvian Bridge.
With the weight of the terrified and fleeing men becoming too much to bear, the bridge collapsed, killing many and stranding the rest of the retreating army.
Now running for their lives, Emperor Maxentius himself was caught up in the stampede of fleeing soldiers where he was trampled and drowned in the river as a mass of screaming men poured into it to their deaths.
In this incredibly decisive victory, Constantine established total control over the Western Roman Empire, and the experience of the vision in the heavens would inspire him to become a follower of Christ.
The following year, Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which made Christianity an officially recognized religion of the Roman Empire; thereby ending persecution of Christians.
The history of Constantine and his vision was the catalyst for Rome becoming a Christian Empire and was the birthplace of the Chi Rho Christogram.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jozef Lalka is a former Infantryman with the Canadian Armed Forces and founder of War Doll.
Since releasing from the military, Jozef has devoted his life to the scriptural motivation of the warrior culture, and the mentorship of the next generation. Jozef works as a graphic designer, photographer and videographer while pursing a passion for current global conflicts and how they relate to historical events.