The Cross - A Central Image on Coins

For hundreds of years, the cross has been known as the holy symbol of Christianity. Though its origins lie in the midst of antiquity, the cross was already an important and influential religious symbol in the pre-Christian period. However, the cross did not gain significance as a Christian symbol until three hundred years after the death of Christ, perhaps because early Christians strove to keep the faith secret to avoid perse-cution by idolatrous Roman rulers. The Christian father Eusebius relates that before the battle against Maxentius in 312, Constantine had a vision of the Christogram (a graphic depiction of the first two letters of Christ, "Christos" in Greek) and hear the voice calling: "With this sign you will be victorious." Setting out to battle with military banners and soldier's helmets decorated with the Christogram, he was victorious. Thus the Christogram, known as the Labarum cross*, become a symbol of victory in battle and, eventually, the ultimate symbol of Christianity and most popular symbol of the late Roman iconography. Toward the end of the reign of Constantine, the Labarum cross as a symbol of victory appeared in a subordinate position on bronze coins (with images from the Roman pantheon dominating). The cross appears quite frequently on coins struck by subsequent Roman emperors. In the Byzantine period, the cross became a major symbol on coins and was portrayed at the top of a staircase. By the Crusader period, the cross had become a dominant type on coins... *LABARUM CROSS - A graphic description of the first two letters (XP) of the name "Christos" (XPICTOC, or Messiah in Greek)