Chrismon

Chrismon. The sacred monogram, an arrangement of the first three Greek letters (Chi, Rho, and Iota) of XPIΣTOΣ Christ's name, also called Christogram, which suggests the Cross as well as pax (peace). Another version is, the initial letters of Iησoύ̩ς Xριστoς ( Jesus Christ) and the first two letters of ιχΘύ̩ς the Greek for ‘fish’, a symbol of the Faith and of Baptism. Other sacred symbols associated with Christ are A (Alpha) and Ω (Omega)—the Beginning and the End; INRI (Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews), or In Nobis Regnat Iesus (Jesus Reigns In Us), or Igne Natura Renovatur Integra (Nature is Regenerated by Fire—referring to the Spirit and to Redemption) ); IHS (variously explained as the first two and last Greek capital letters of IHΣOYΣ, Christ's first name (IHC, the Iota, Eta, and Sigma, given as Σ, C, or the Latin S), Iesus Hominum Salvator (Jesus the Saviour of Man), In Hoc Signo (In This Sign [Thou Shalt Conquer]), and In Hac Salus (In This [Cross] is Salvation).

Bibliography

Dirsztay (1978);
G. Ferguson (1961);
Whone (1990)