Christus Vincit Meaning: Christ Conquers, Christ Reigns, Christ Commands
Three Latin lines that medieval kings had sung over them at their coronations. Then the Church carved them on the obelisk in front of St. Peter's.
What Christus Vincit means
Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat
Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ commands.
Vincit, conquers, as in wins the fight. Regnat, reigns, as in holds the throne. Imperat, commands, as in gives the orders. Three verbs, one subject, no room for anybody else.
Where it comes from: the Laudes Regiae
The line is the refrain of the Laudes Regiae, the Royal Acclamations, a chant from the time of Charlemagne in the late 700s. It was sung at coronations and on the great feasts, with petitions for the pope, the king, the bishops and the army, and after each one the whole church answered: Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat. The point was never to praise the king. The point was to remind the king, in front of everybody, who actually reigned.
The obelisk in St. Peter's Square
The Egyptian obelisk in the middle of St. Peter's Square was brought to Rome by the emperor Caligula. When Pope Sixtus V had it moved to the front of the basilica in 1586, he put a cross on top and had the base inscribed with the acclamation: Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat, Christus ab omni malo plebem suam defendat, Christ defend His people from all evil. A pagan monument, now a pedestal for the cross. Medieval French kings put the same three lines on their gold coins.
Where you will hear it now
The chant is still sung at papal Masses, ordinations and big Eucharistic events, usually to the old melody, and it shows up at Latin Masses and on Christ the King Sunday at the end of the Church year. It is the kind of thing that makes a cathedral sound like a stadium.
Why it is our kind of Latin
Christus vincit is a victory chant, which is the whole energy of Saints Go Hard: St. Michael with the sword, St. George with the lance, nobody playing soft. For the rest of the battle Latin, read Vade Retro Satana and In Hoc Signo Vinces and the Chi Rho, and for the prayer that goes with all of it, the St. Michael Prayer.
"Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat."Laudes Regiae