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→Later Usage
Later usage has sometimes regarded the terms "labarum" and "Chi-Rho" as synonyms (i.e. the labarum bearing the chi-rho symbol). Ancient sources however draw an unambiguous distinction between the two. For one thing this is because the "Chi-Rho" [[w:Christogram|Christogram]] and the "Labarum" were not originally synonyms; originally, the labarum being a type of [[w:Vexillum|vexillum]], was a military standard used in the Classical Era of the Roman Empire, with a flag hanging from a horizontal crossbar; the Chi-Rho Christogram was only added above the flag by the Emperor [[Constantine the Great|Constantine I]] in the late Roman period.
In addition, the "Chi-Rho" Christogram was not always used is connection with the imperial labarum, but its use by Christians naturally evolved into a variety of formats, including its use on coins and medallions (minted during Constantine's reign and by subsequent rulers), on Christian sarcophagi and frescoes from about 350 AD, and became part of the official imperial insignia after Constantine. Eventually it also appeared , eventually appearing on public buildings and churchesas well.
A later Byzantine manuscript indicates that a jewelled labarum standard believed to have been that of [[Constantine the Great|Constantine]] was preserved for centuries, as an object of great veneration, in the imperial treasury at [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]].<ref>Lieu and Montserrat p. 118. From a Byzantine life of Constantine (BHG 364) written in the mid to late ninth century.</ref> The labarum, with minor variations in its form, was widely used by the Christian Roman emperors who followed Constantine I.
In the Middle Ages the pastoral staff of a bishop often had attached to it a small purple scarf known as the vexillum, supposedly derived from the labarum.<ref>''"Labarum."'' '''Encyclopædia Britannica.''' Encyclopædia Britannica 2009 Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, 2009.</ref>
In Greece, the "Holy Lavara" were a set of early national Greek flags, blessed by the [[Church of Greece|Greek Orthodox Church]]. Under these banners the Greeks united throughout the [[w:Greek War of Independence|Greek War of Independence]] (1821-32), a war of liberation waged against the Ottoman Empire.<ref group="note">The blessing of the standards recalls Constantine's use of the Labarum with the Chi-Rho Christogram before his battle with Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge, just over 1500 years earlier.</ref>
Today, the term "labarum" is generally used for any ecclesiastical banner, such as those carried in religious processions.