Deo optimo maximo

Inscription at the steeple of Katholische Hofkirche, Dresden (1755)

Deo optimo maximo, often abbreviated D.O.M., is a Latin phrase that originally meant "to the greatest and best god", referring to Jove, when the Romans were polytheists : IOVI OPTIMO MAXIMO (I O M). Centuries later, after the Romans had become monotheists via the adoption of Christianity, the phrase was used in reference to the Christian God, and meant "To God, most good, most great." Its use continued long after the fall of Roman civilization via Europe's retention of Latin as a scholarly and ecclesiastical language. Thus the phrase or its abbreviation can be found on many Renaissance-era churches and other buildings, especially over sarcophagi, particularly in Italy. It is also inscribed on bottles of Bénédictine liquor.