Hagia Sophia - Quiz
Hagia Sophia
  • 1. When was Hagia Sophia built?
A) 654 AD
B) 732 AD
C) 476 AD
D) 537 AD
  • 2. Which empire built Hagia Sophia?
A) Persian Empire
B) Roman Empire
C) Byzantine Empire
D) Ottoman Empire
  • 3. What is the architectural style of Hagia Sophia?
A) Gothic
B) Renaissance
C) Baroque
D) Byzantine
  • 4. Hagia Sophia became a museum in which year?
A) 1957
B) 1984
C) 1935
D) 1862
  • 5. What was Hagia Sophia converted into after the Ottoman conquest?
A) Library
B) Mosque
C) Marketplace
D) Theatre
  • 6. Who was the architect of Hagia Sophia?
A) Iktinos and Kallikrates
B) Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus
C) Leonardo da Vinci
D) Michelangelo
  • 7. Hagia Sophia served as a cathedral for how long?
A) 916 years
B) 482 years
C) 1053 years
D) 739 years
  • 8. What does 'Hagia Sophia' mean in Greek?
A) Sacred Monument
B) Great Cathedral
C) Heavenly Palace
D) Holy Wisdom
  • 9. Which city is Hagia Sophia located in?
A) Cairo
B) Rome
C) Athens
D) Istanbul
  • 10. What significant event occurred at Hagia Sophia on 13–14 January 532?
A) The Byzantine–Sasanian War began.
B) It was burnt to the ground during the Nika Revolt.
C) Emperor Theophilus installed two-winged bronze doors.
D) It was inaugurated by Emperor Justinian I.
  • 11. Which emperor ordered the construction of a third Hagia Sophia after the second was destroyed?
A) Mehmed the Conqueror
B) Theodosius II
C) Justinian I
D) Constantine the Great
  • 12. What architectural innovation is Hagia Sophia known for employing?
A) A fully pendentive dome.
B) Gothic arches.
C) Flying buttresses.
D) Baroque facades.
  • 13. What was the original purpose of Hagia Sophia when it was first constructed?
A) It served as a Christian basilica.
B) It functioned as a Roman bathhouse.
C) It was used as an imperial library.
D) It operated as a marketplace.
  • 14. What was one major consequence of the Nika Revolt for Hagia Sophia?
A) It became a mosque immediately after the revolt.
B) The church was converted into a museum.
C) Emperor Justinian I ordered its immediate reconstruction.
D) The second church on the site was burnt to the ground.
  • 15. What was one significant architectural feature added to Hagia Sophia during Justinian's reign?
A) Baroque facades.
B) Gothic arches.
C) Flying buttresses.
D) A ribbed dome with pendentives.
  • 16. Which Byzantine emperor's reign saw Hagia Sophia being stripped of gold ornaments and silver oil-lamps?
A) Theodosius II
B) Arcadius
C) Isaac II Angelus
D) Constantine the Great
  • 17. Which Ottoman architect was responsible for strengthening Hagia Sophia in the 16th century?
A) Mimar Sinan
B) Gaspare Fossati
C) Davud Ağa
D) Giuseppe Fossati
  • 18. Which Sultan imported two large alabaster Hellenistic urns from Pergamon and placed them in Hagia Sophia?
A) Suleiman the Magnificent
B) Ahmed I
C) Selim II
D) Murad III
  • 19. Which organization included Hagia Sophia in their 1996 and 1998 Watch Lists due to its deteriorating condition?
A) UNESCO
B) International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
C) Council of Europe
D) World Monuments Fund (WMF)
  • 20. Who was the first Turkish President to transform Hagia Sophia into a museum?
A) İsmet İnönü
B) Abdulmejid I
C) Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
D) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
  • 21. In what year did the Turkish government announce the reversion of Hagia Sophia back to a mosque?
A) 2020
B) 1998
C) 2015
D) 2003
  • 22. Who was the first imam appointed by Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs at Hagia Sophia since 1935?
A) Mefail Hızlı
B) Bülent Arınç
C) Ali Erbaş
D) Önder Soy
  • 23. Which president of Turkey signed the decree annulling Hagia Sophia's museum status in 2020?
A) Ahmet Necdet Sezer
B) Abdullah Gül
C) Tayyip Erdoğan
D) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
  • 24. Which Greek political figure called Hagia Sophia's conversion a 'breach of UNESCO World Heritage titling'?
A) Alexis Tsipras
B) Lina Mendoni
C) Dora Bakoyannis
D) Kyriakos Mitsotakis
  • 25. Which Sultan's reign saw the renovation of Hagia Sophia's interior to preserve many mosaics?
A) Abdulmejid I
B) Selim I
C) Mehmed II
D) Ahmed III
  • 26. Who was the first Western visitor to report seeing the ancient Justinianic floor of Hagia Sophia before it was covered over?
A) Cristoforo Buondelmonti
B) Bernardo Bonsignori
C) Gaspare Fossati
D) Pero Tafur
  • 27. According to Svenshon, what is the size of the side of the central square in Byzantine feet?
A) 98 feet
B) 99 feet
C) 101 feet
D) 100 feet
  • 28. When was the Deësis mosaic likely commissioned?
A) 1849
B) 1958
C) 1122
D) 1261
  • 29. Who engraved an image of Hagia Sophia's interior in 1672?
A) Guillaume-Joseph Grelot
B) The Fossatis
C) Cornelius Loos
D) Thomas Whittemore
  • 30. Who built the wooden minaret over one of Hagia Sophia's half domes?
A) Sinan.
B) Justinian.
C) Beyazıd II.
D) Mehmed.
  • 31. When was the Emperor Alexander mosaic discovered?
A) 1122
B) 1894
C) 1849
D) 1958
  • 32. How many arched windows support the central dome?
A) 50
B) 60
C) 40
D) 30
  • 33. Which Byzantine church was remodeled to have a dome similar to Hagia Sophia's during Justinian's reign?
A) Kronstadt Naval Cathedral
B) Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki
C) Hagia Irene
D) Catedral Metropolitana Ortodoxa
  • 34. What was the main entrance between the exo- and esonarthex called?
A) The Imperial Gate
B) The Northern Entrance
C) The Royal Door
D) The Emperor's Arch
  • 35. What does touching the moisture on the wishing column reportedly cure?
A) Financial troubles.
B) Broken bones.
C) Bad luck.
D) Many illnesses.
  • 36. What is the main solution to prevent deterioration of Hagia Sophia's walls?
A) Diverting excess rainwater.
B) Using modern construction materials.
C) Sealing all openings.
D) Applying new plaster.
  • 37. Who led the team from the Byzantine Institute of America that uncovered many mosaics in the 1930s?
A) Thomas Whittemore
B) Michael Fossati
C) Cyril Mango
D) John Smith
  • 38. What type of angels are depicted in the mosaics on the east pendentives?
A) Two-winged angels symbolizing peace and war.
B) Four-winged angels representing the cardinal directions.
C) Eight-winged angels of justice and mercy.
D) Six-winged angels, possibly seraphim or cherubim.
  • 39. What did Christ Pantocrator hold in his left hand in the Empress Zoe mosaic?
A) A globus cruciger
B) A purse
C) The Bible
D) A scroll
  • 40. What is another name for the 'wishing column' in Hagia Sophia?
A) The 'golden column'.
B) The 'healing pillar'.
C) The 'perspiring' or 'sweating column'.
D) The 'emperor's column'.
  • 41. In what year did vandalism occur at the Imperial Gate?
A) 1987
B) 2005
C) 2019
D) April 2022
  • 42. What period do the lustration urns date back to?
A) Romanesque period.
B) Renaissance period.
C) Hellenistic period.
D) Byzantine period.
  • 43. When did the stone floor of Hagia Sophia originally date from?
A) The 6th century
B) The 8th century
C) The 12th century
D) The 4th century
  • 44. What material is predominantly used in the Hagia Sophia's floor?
A) Proconnesian marble
B) Granite
C) Limestone
D) Thessalian verd antique
  • 45. What is the diagonal measurement derived from the side-and-diagonal number progression in Hagia Sophia?
A) 160
B) 140
C) 130
D) 150
  • 46. Who was traditionally allowed to use the Imperial Gate exclusively?
A) The Empress
B) The clergy
C) The Patriarch
D) The emperor
  • 47. What did members of the Varangian Guard leave in the first floor gallery?
A) Inscriptions in Latin
B) Symbols of their allegiance
C) Mosaics
D) Runic graffiti
  • 48. What instrument was used to investigate the subsurface structure under Hagia Sophia?
A) Laser scanning devices
B) LaCoste-Romberg gravimeters
C) Seismic reflection tools
D) Ground-penetrating radar
  • 49. What progression is used for calculating the square measurements in Hagia Sophia's design?
A) Fibonacci sequence
B) Side-and-diagonal number progression
C) Geometric progression
D) Arithmetic progression
  • 50. What did the Ottomans cover on the seraphs' faces?
A) Figurative mosaics.
B) Ceramic tiles.
C) Paintings of prophets.
D) Golden stars.
  • 51. Which organization's World Heritage Committee was mentioned in relation to Hagia Sophia's status change?
A) Council of Europe
B) UNESCO
C) World Monuments Fund (WMF)
D) International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
  • 52. Who rediscovered the southwestern entrance mosaic during restorations in 1849?
A) Thomas Whittemore
B) Cornelius Loos
C) The Fossatis
D) Guillaume-Joseph Grelot
  • 53. What is the length of each side of the great square Hagia Sophia?
A) 35 m
B) 40 m
C) 25 m
D) Approximately 31 m
  • 54. What did the Thessalian verd antique bands across the nave floor resemble?
A) Deserts.
B) Forests.
C) Rivers.
D) Mountains.
  • 55. Which poet likened the ambo and solea to an island in a sea?
A) Michael the Deacon
B) Tâcîzâde Cafer Çelebi
C) Paul the Silentiary
D) Tursun Beg
  • 56. Which synagogue is modeled after the Hagia Sophia?
A) Saint Louis Cathedral
B) Congregation Emanu-El (San Francisco)
C) Süleymaniye Mosque
D) Kronstadt Naval Cathedral
  • 57. What happened to the figurative mosaics during the iconoclastic controversy?
A) They were replaced by abstract designs.
B) They were destroyed.
C) They were covered with gold leaf.
D) They were moved to another location.
  • 58. What is the oldest depiction of the apse mosaic known?
A) A drawing by Cornelius Loos.
B) A fresco in the apse.
C) A hexaptych menologion icon panel from Saint Catherine's Monastery.
D) An engraving by Guillaume-Joseph Grelot.
  • 59. Who compared the floor to waves of marble?
A) Tâcîzâde Cafer Çelebi
B) Michael the Deacon
C) Paul the Silentiary
D) Tursun Beg
  • 60. Which Neo-Byzantine church closely replicates the internal geometry of Hagia Sophia?
A) Église du Saint-Esprit (Paris)
B) Saint Clement Catholic Church
C) Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
D) Kronstadt Naval Cathedral
  • 61. In what year did the first Friday prayer in Hagia Sophia as a mosque take place?
A) 1 June 1453
B) 29 May 1453
C) 1498
D) 1576
  • 62. What was a significant issue with the construction of Hagia Sophia's walls?
A) The walls were constructed with metal reinforcements
B) The walls were built without any mortar
C) The builders used more mortar than brick, weakening the structure
D) They used too much stone and not enough mortar
  • 63. What is another name for the upper gallery in Hagia Sophia?
A) Narthex
B) Pendentive
C) Matroneum
D) Apse
  • 64. How high is the central dome of Hagia Sophia from floor level at its maximum?
A) 45.6 m
B) 65.6 m
C) 55.6 m (182 ft 5 in)
D) 75.6 m
  • 65. What material is used for the disc marking the spot of the empress's throne?
A) Marble from Pergamon.
B) Green stone verd antique.
C) Reliefs of geometric shapes and plants.
D) Single blocks of marble.
  • 66. Where did many items from Hagia Sophia end up after the Sack of Constantinople?
A) Venice, organized by Doge Enrico Dandolo.
B) Rome, to be displayed in the Vatican.
C) Constantinople, stored in hidden vaults.
D) Athens, as part of a cultural exchange.
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