Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
The Seven Lamps of Architecture
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Read Next
Night view of the Opera House and new business quarter, Oslo, Norway.
These 8 Buildings Will Make You See Norway in a New Light
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's House, Weimar,Germany; photocrom print published between 1890-1900.
5 Historically Significant Houses in Germany
The New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City, designed by the Japanese architecture firm SANAA (Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates) and opened in 2007. Attached to the facade is Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone's sculpture installation Hell, Yes! (2001)
Woman-Made: 13 Architects You Might Not Know
Florence Baptistery of Saint John, Italy
9 Historic Buildings in Florence
Discover
Title: Senate Square, St. Petersburg, December 14, 1825: repression of the troop mutiny - watercolor by Carl Ivanovitch Kollman, 1825 depicts Decembrist uprising clashing with cavalry, with spectators watching. (new style December 26, 1825) Europe. Saint
8 of the Largest Empires in History
An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.
11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
Thumbnail for flags that look alike quiz Russia, Slovenia, Iceland, Norway
Flags That Look Alike
Rural Irish landscape, Sligo, Ireland.
Why Is Ireland Two Countries?
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century
Woman tied to a ducking stool, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. (cucking stool)
8 Unusual Punishments Inflicted on Women Throughout History

The Seven Lamps of Architecture

essay by Ruskin
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History

The Seven Lamps of Architecture, book-length essay on architecture by John Ruskin, published in 1849. According to Ruskin, the leading principles of architecture are the “lamps” of Sacrifice, Truth, Power, Beauty, Life, Memory, and Obedience. Ruskin saw Gothic as the noblest style of architecture, but he noted that over time medieval architecture had lost the power to resist innovation. To Ruskin this loss of vitality was the result of the spiritual decline of Christianity during the materialistic Renaissance. The essay provided a general framework and a moral flavour to the studies of a generation of medievalists.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.