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