What does in hoc signo vinces?

Answer 1

It is actually a Latin Phrase... In whole it reads: "In hoc signo vinces". It is a motto meaning "In this sign you will conquer." And is the motto of the Knights Templar, top of the York Rite of the Masonic Order. Origins:

According to a well-known Catholic legend, Emperor Constantine the Great won the battle of the Milvian Bridge against Maxentius in the year 312, because previously (at Saxa Rubra) he had seen a vision where he saw a cross with the words "In hoc signo vinces" (in this sign you will conquer), so he had his soldiers carry a cross on their armors and shields. Of course, this predates the Knights Templar motto by many centuries.