Latin · Original
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Signum Crucis
The Sign of the Cross
Attested by Tertullian, c. 200 AD
The gesture by which a Christian marks every prayer and undertaking — the trinitarian seal of every baptized soul.
The Prayer · Multiple Versions
English
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Spanish
En el nombre del Padre y del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo. Amén.
Italian
Nel nome del Padre e del Figlio e dello Spirito Santo. Amen.
Portuguese
Em nome do Pai e do Filho e do Espírito Santo. Ámen.
French
Au nom du Père, et du Fils, et du Saint-Esprit. Amen.
German
Im Namen des Vaters und des Sohnes und des Heiligen Geistes. Amen.
When the Prayer is Said
Beginning and end of every prayer; entering and leaving a church; before meals; at every blessing.
History & Background
The earliest written attestation of the gesture comes from Tertullian's De Corona (c. 211 AD): 'At every step and movement, when we come in or go out, when we dress and put on our shoes, at the bath, at the table, in lighting our candles, in lying down, in sitting down, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign.' By the fourth century the gesture had grown from a small cross on the forehead to the larger gesture across forehead, breast, and shoulders that we know today.
The Latin Church traces forehead → breast → left → right shoulder. The Byzantine and most Eastern Christian Churches trace forehead → breast → right → left shoulder, using thumb, index, and middle fingers joined (for the Trinity) with ring and little finger pressed to the palm (for the two natures of Christ).