This article examines art in the semiotic aspect. The aim of research is to identify the specificity of the language of architecture as a special form of symbolic art meaning the process of granting the symbolic value of aesthetic phenomena caused by the cultural and historical context allowing transmitting the values represented at the level of artistic activity. Research concept is determined by the understanding of art as a specific socio-cultural system operating various sign formations that include the elements of both simple--signals, and more complex nature like signs and their systems as well as symbols forming the most difficult class of sign formations. The use of the dialectical method for considering a thing in the unity and diversity of its properties allows revealing the specifics of the language of art. It is shown that architecture is a complex hierarchical system where different classes of characters are represented. The result of the study is in identifying the multi-layer system of architectural semantics indicating the diversity of architectural signs.