 An extensive propaganda campaign followed , during which Maxentius ' image was systematically purged from all public places . Maxentius was written up as a " tyrant " , and set against an idealized image of the " liberator " , Constantine . Eusebius , in his later works , is the best representative of this strand of Constantinian propaganda . Maxentius ' rescripts were declared invalid , and the honors Maxentius had granted to leaders of the Senate were invalidated . Constantine also attempted to remove Maxentius ' influence on Rome 's urban landscape . All structures built by Maxentius were re @-@ dedicated to Constantine , including the Temple of Romulus and the Basilica of Maxentius . At the focal point of the basilica , a stone statue of Constantine holding the Christian labarum in its hand was erected . Its inscription bore the message the statue had already made clear : By this sign Constantine had freed Rome from the yoke of the tyrant . 
