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Hagia Sophia - Quiz
Contributed by: Robertson
  • 1. When was Hagia Sophia built?
A) 537 AD
B) 654 AD
C) 476 AD
D) 732 AD
  • 2. Which empire built Hagia Sophia?
A) Byzantine Empire
B) Persian Empire
C) Roman Empire
D) Ottoman Empire
  • 3. What is the architectural style of Hagia Sophia?
A) Gothic
B) Byzantine
C) Baroque
D) Renaissance
  • 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) Mosque
B) Marketplace
C) Theatre
D) Library
  • 6. Who was the architect of Hagia Sophia?
A) Leonardo da Vinci
B) Michelangelo
C) Anthemius of Tralles and Isidore of Miletus
D) Iktinos and Kallikrates
  • 7. Hagia Sophia served as a cathedral for how long?
A) 916 years
B) 1053 years
C) 739 years
D) 482 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) Rome
B) Istanbul
C) Athens
D) Cairo
  • 10. What significant event occurred at Hagia Sophia on 13–14 January 532?
A) Emperor Theophilus installed two-winged bronze doors.
B) The Byzantine–Sasanian War began.
C) It was inaugurated by Emperor Justinian I.
D) It was burnt to the ground during the Nika Revolt.
  • 11. Which emperor ordered the construction of a third Hagia Sophia after the second was destroyed?
A) Justinian I
B) Theodosius II
C) Constantine the Great
D) Mehmed the Conqueror
  • 12. What architectural innovation is Hagia Sophia known for employing?
A) Baroque facades.
B) Gothic arches.
C) Flying buttresses.
D) A fully pendentive dome.
  • 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) Emperor Justinian I ordered its immediate reconstruction.
B) The church was converted into a museum.
C) The second church on the site was burnt to the ground.
D) It became a mosque immediately after the revolt.
  • 15. What was one significant architectural feature added to Hagia Sophia during Justinian's reign?
A) Baroque facades.
B) Flying buttresses.
C) Gothic arches.
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) Giuseppe Fossati
B) Mimar Sinan
C) Davud Ağa
D) Gaspare Fossati
  • 18. Which Sultan imported two large alabaster Hellenistic urns from Pergamon and placed them in Hagia Sophia?
A) Murad III
B) Selim II
C) Suleiman the Magnificent
D) Ahmed I
  • 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) Abdulmejid I
B) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
C) Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
D) İsmet İnönü
  • 21. In what year did the Turkish government announce the reversion of Hagia Sophia back to a mosque?
A) 1998
B) 2015
C) 2020
D) 2003
  • 22. Who was the first imam appointed by Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs at Hagia Sophia since 1935?
A) Önder Soy
B) Ali Erbaş
C) Mefail Hızlı
D) Bülent Arınç
  • 23. Which president of Turkey signed the decree annulling Hagia Sophia's museum status in 2020?
A) Abdullah Gül
B) Ahmet Necdet Sezer
C) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
D) Tayyip Erdoğan
  • 24. Which Greek political figure called Hagia Sophia's conversion a 'breach of UNESCO World Heritage titling'?
A) Alexis Tsipras
B) Kyriakos Mitsotakis
C) Lina Mendoni
D) Dora Bakoyannis
  • 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) Gaspare Fossati
B) Pero Tafur
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) 99 feet
B) 101 feet
C) 100 feet
D) 98 feet
  • 28. When was the Deësis mosaic likely commissioned?
A) 1849
B) 1122
C) 1958
D) 1261
  • 29. Who engraved an image of Hagia Sophia's interior in 1672?
A) Thomas Whittemore
B) Cornelius Loos
C) The Fossatis
D) Guillaume-Joseph Grelot
  • 30. Who built the wooden minaret over one of Hagia Sophia's half domes?
A) Mehmed.
B) Sinan.
C) Justinian.
D) Beyazıd II.
  • 31. When was the Emperor Alexander mosaic discovered?
A) 1849
B) 1894
C) 1958
D) 1122
  • 32. How many arched windows support the central dome?
A) 60
B) 50
C) 30
D) 40
  • 33. Which Byzantine church was remodeled to have a dome similar to Hagia Sophia's during Justinian's reign?
A) Kronstadt Naval Cathedral
B) Catedral Metropolitana Ortodoxa
C) Hagia Irene
D) Hagia Sophia in Thessaloniki
  • 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) Many illnesses.
C) Broken bones.
D) Bad luck.
  • 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) Cyril Mango
B) Michael Fossati
C) Thomas Whittemore
D) John Smith
  • 38. What type of angels are depicted in the mosaics on the east pendentives?
A) Four-winged angels representing the cardinal directions.
B) Six-winged angels, possibly seraphim or cherubim.
C) Two-winged angels symbolizing peace and war.
D) Eight-winged angels of justice and mercy.
  • 39. What did Christ Pantocrator hold in his left hand in the Empress Zoe mosaic?
A) The Bible
B) A scroll
C) A globus cruciger
D) A purse
  • 40. What is another name for the 'wishing column' in Hagia Sophia?
A) The 'perspiring' or 'sweating column'.
B) The 'emperor's column'.
C) The 'healing pillar'.
D) The 'golden column'.
  • 41. In what year did vandalism occur at the Imperial Gate?
A) 1987
B) April 2022
C) 2005
D) 2019
  • 42. What period do the lustration urns date back to?
A) Renaissance period.
B) Romanesque 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 12th century
C) The 4th century
D) The 8th century
  • 44. What material is predominantly used in the Hagia Sophia's floor?
A) Proconnesian marble
B) Thessalian verd antique
C) Granite
D) Limestone
  • 45. What is the diagonal measurement derived from the side-and-diagonal number progression in Hagia Sophia?
A) 150
B) 140
C) 130
D) 160
  • 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) Inscriptions in Latin
C) Mosaics
D) Symbols of their allegiance
  • 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) Geometric progression
B) Side-and-diagonal number progression
C) Arithmetic progression
D) Fibonacci sequence
  • 50. What did the Ottomans cover on the seraphs' faces?
A) Ceramic tiles.
B) Paintings of prophets.
C) Figurative mosaics.
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) World Monuments Fund (WMF)
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) Guillaume-Joseph Grelot
C) Thomas Whittemore
D) Cornelius Loos
  • 53. What is the length of each side of the great square Hagia Sophia?
A) Approximately 31 m
B) 40 m
C) 25 m
D) 35 m
  • 54. What did the Thessalian verd antique bands across the nave floor resemble?
A) Rivers.
B) Forests.
C) Mountains.
D) Deserts.
  • 55. Which poet likened the ambo and solea to an island in a sea?
A) Paul the Silentiary
B) Michael the Deacon
C) Tursun Beg
D) Tâcîzâde Cafer Çelebi
  • 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 moved to another location.
B) They were destroyed.
C) They were replaced by abstract designs.
D) They were covered with gold leaf.
  • 58. What is the oldest depiction of the apse mosaic known?
A) A drawing by Cornelius Loos.
B) An engraving by Guillaume-Joseph Grelot.
C) A fresco in the apse.
D) A hexaptych menologion icon panel from Saint Catherine's Monastery.
  • 59. Who compared the floor to waves of marble?
A) Tursun Beg
B) Paul the Silentiary
C) Michael the Deacon
D) Tâcîzâde Cafer Çelebi
  • 60. Which Neo-Byzantine church closely replicates the internal geometry of Hagia Sophia?
A) Saint Clement Catholic Church
B) Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis
C) Église du Saint-Esprit (Paris)
D) Kronstadt Naval Cathedral
  • 61. In what year did the first Friday prayer in Hagia Sophia as a mosque take place?
A) 1498
B) 1 June 1453
C) 29 May 1453
D) 1576
  • 62. What was a significant issue with the construction of Hagia Sophia's walls?
A) The builders used more mortar than brick, weakening the structure
B) The walls were constructed with metal reinforcements
C) They used too much stone and not enough mortar
D) The walls were built without any mortar
  • 63. What is another name for the upper gallery in Hagia Sophia?
A) Matroneum
B) Narthex
C) Apse
D) Pendentive
  • 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) Reliefs of geometric shapes and plants.
B) Single blocks of marble.
C) Marble from Pergamon.
D) Green stone verd antique.
  • 66. Where did many items from Hagia Sophia end up after the Sack of Constantinople?
A) Athens, as part of a cultural exchange.
B) Venice, organized by Doge Enrico Dandolo.
C) Rome, to be displayed in the Vatican.
D) Constantinople, stored in hidden vaults.
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