Our Fathers Have Told Us

by John Ruskin

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Pages: 152

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About this book

A railway stop at Amiens gives John Ruskin a reason to look closely at the city's rivers, crafts and cathedral. Written for young readers at a governess's request, these historical sketches connect the history of Christianity with places and objects that a hurried traveller might overlook. The opening describes skilled work in textiles, glass, stone and wood, making the city's trades part of the account of its past.

The section called The Bible of Amiens brings French history and religious art together. In later notes, Ruskin considers the Roman Empire and monastic life, challenging historians whose judgments he finds unfair. His defence of monks draws on his own experience, while his preface argues that history should recognise virtue even in an opponent. Readers interested in cathedral history and religious education can follow both his attention to material detail and his forceful views on how the past should be understood.

About the author

John Ruskin

John Ruskin (1819-1900) was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era and an influential social thinker whose ideas on art, labor, and society shaped movements from the Pre-Raphaelites to the welfare state.